tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163588072999728232024-03-19T07:59:49.339-04:00The Low-DownJon Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13568666740518678797noreply@blogger.comBlogger24498125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-65893147472430364772024-03-18T14:15:00.003-04:002024-03-18T14:15:37.963-04:00Russia Unable To Advance Despite Manpower, Ammunition Advantage<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRIKL0nxobNdyg_qCHFTXoBxYPwt6iniQpOMsZ7Nr3dISKGnYusdKwvDQfwhMHk9v0H8_DqTcL0Zi2tpss4VYAOBRIxFSqhNT7Rc3HzbiA-7hSqSLeHfhHV-rl2MFMfsYBtJYk5iOUwj8sloi0pgK2cDEYQI3IUHjAXM1jITSGapuOLWqlbo8LFVe52s/s1920/Image%20-%20change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRIKL0nxobNdyg_qCHFTXoBxYPwt6iniQpOMsZ7Nr3dISKGnYusdKwvDQfwhMHk9v0H8_DqTcL0Zi2tpss4VYAOBRIxFSqhNT7Rc3HzbiA-7hSqSLeHfhHV-rl2MFMfsYBtJYk5iOUwj8sloi0pgK2cDEYQI3IUHjAXM1jITSGapuOLWqlbo8LFVe52s/s320/Image%20-%20change.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>As American author Mark Twain once noted about himself, predictions of Ukraine's death have been greatly exaggerated. <p></p><p>Despite Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka and the plethora of articles that generated about Russian forces being unstoppable, Ukraine has, in fact, stopped them. And pretty much everywhere on the front line. And despite Ukraine's being low on artillery ammunition, as well as fresh troops. So as Europe, and the Czech Republic in particular, begin to deliver substantial new quantities of ammo just as Ukraine is advancing new legislation to increase conscription, the question is whether Russia has missed its moment through profligate waste of soldiers and equipment, to say nothing of ineffective leadership. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Phillips</i> <i>O'Brien reports in his substack</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>On the front line, after the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka, the
front line once again has barely moved. There have been shifts of a
kilometre here and there, but no breakthrough and no major Ukrainian
withdrawal. This has happened even
when Ukrainian artillery fire (because of the cut-off of US aid) is way
down. The longer the line remains static the better now, as it allows
Ukraine to build deeper and better defensive lines. (And) the Ukrainian campaign against Russian fuel refineries.<span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">once
again shows Ukraine can be more effective with its ranged
attacks using cheaper systems than Russia has been with its very
expensive missiles.</span><a name='more'></a><br /><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In comparison to all the political maneuvering in western capitals, the war in Ukraine remained static on the front line, with the big development being the Ukrainian campaign against Russian fuel refineries.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">On the front line, after the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka, the front line once again has barely moved. There have been shifts of a kilometre here and there, but no breakthrough and no major Ukrainian withdrawal. The hopeful thing for Ukraine is that this has happened even when Ukrainian artillery fire (because of the cut-off of US aid) is way down. The longer the line remains static the better now, as it allows Ukraine to build deeper and better defensive lines.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">(btw, Mykola discusses this in the podcast),</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">If the battle lines remain static, Ukraine increased the strategic war with attacks on Russian refineries this week, hitting a number of them (many hundreds of miles from Ukraine itself.</p><div class="captioned-image-container" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: var(--size-32) auto; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><figure style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin: 0px auto; width: 728px;"><a class="image-link is-viewable-img image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5eba2947-e715-442c-9891-819935a3f90d_783x748.png" rel="" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; align-items: center; border: 0px; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); cursor: zoom-in; display: flex; flex-direction: column; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; width: auto;" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; display: flex; position: relative;"><picture style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"><source style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5eba2947-e715-442c-9891-819935a3f90d_783x748.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":748,"width":783,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":879369,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null}" height="748" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5eba2947-e715-442c-9891-819935a3f90d_783x748.png" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%;" width="783" /></picture><div class="image-link-expand" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; align-items: center; background: var(--color-bg-modal); border-radius: var(--border-radius-sm); cursor: pointer; display: flex; height: var(--size-32); justify-content: center; opacity: 0; position: absolute; right: var(--size-12); top: var(--size-12); transition: all var(--animation-timing-fast) var(--animation-smoothing); width: var(--size-32);"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2 " fill="none" height="16" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" stroke="#FFFFFF" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="16" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_secondary, var(--print_secondary_on_web_bg_color, var(--print_secondary, var(--color-secondary)))); font-size: calc(var(--font-size-14) + var(--font_size_body_offset, 0px)); font-weight: var(--font-weight-regular); letter-spacing: var(--letter-spacing-14); line-height: var(--line-height-20); margin-top: var(--size-8); padding-left: 109.2px; padding-right: 109.2px; text-align: center; width: 509.6px;">Smoke rising from a Russian oil refinery, on satellite imagery: https://x.com/bradyafr/status/1769007568456733178?s=20</figcaption></figure></div><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f2f2e3; color: #58584a; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">This campaign, as I tried to describe in this post,<span> </span></span><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/phillipspobrien/p/ukraine-is-waging-a-strategic-air?r=1tgexa&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web" rel="" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_pop); text-decoration: none;">holds out real promise for Ukraine—but it will be very hard</a><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">. It will require commitment, and large stockpiles. However, once again it shows that Ukraine can be more effective with its ranged attacks using cheaper systems, than Russia has been with its very expensive missiles.</span></p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-80765325034805963692024-03-18T11:02:00.004-04:002024-03-18T11:02:56.310-04:00Ukrainian Marines Repel Renewed Russian Naval Infantry Attacks On Krynky<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpddANBw88VoPULWY5LgsyAIj5xrAArmJHGi5fbLBqOdTm5LsGMb-fwinZyqUV9No-CVlJDIiN9KX2Hd1kTvyHmjco2tFsyL2rEakmP-uXi8cHBo6x2RYFQxDUgaQ6kgLL7SlN45CTUMUrMWn9ItX1WjCt8Kg9DqTt8ZcvLE61M1Q_3oJYtVVCCwsJEE/s1024/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpddANBw88VoPULWY5LgsyAIj5xrAArmJHGi5fbLBqOdTm5LsGMb-fwinZyqUV9No-CVlJDIiN9KX2Hd1kTvyHmjco2tFsyL2rEakmP-uXi8cHBo6x2RYFQxDUgaQ6kgLL7SlN45CTUMUrMWn9ItX1WjCt8Kg9DqTt8ZcvLE61M1Q_3oJYtVVCCwsJEE/s320/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Ukrainian Marines have again defeated Russian attempts to assault their cross-Dnipro bridgehead by Russian Naval Infantry. <p></p><p>The attackers were the decimated and repeatedly reconstituted 810th Guards Naval Infantry, which have been depleted so frequently over the two years of the invasion that it is now made up of recent recruits will little training, no longer resembling the elite unit it once ostensibly was. JL <i> </i></p><p><i>Militarnyi reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Ukrainian marines eliminated Russian marines who attempted to assault Krynky. Russian troops continue their attempts to force the units of the
Ukrainian Defense Forces out from the foothold on the left bank of the
Kherson region. Documents established that the Russians had signed contracts with the Russian marines only a few months ago. The 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Army is fighting on the Russian side in this area.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainian marines eliminated Russian marines who attempted to assault the town in Krynky, Kherson region.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade<a href="https://t.me/ua_marines_36brigade/1373" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span> </span>released</a><span> </span>the footage from the battlefield in Krynky.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The video captures Ukrainian marines examining the bodies of the Russian invaders who had made an unsuccessful assault on the brigade’s positions.<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></em></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“A group of Russian soldiers will forever remain in the village of Krynky. They are the elite, the marines,”</em><span> </span>the Ukrainian military says in the video.</p><img alt="Ліквідовані російські морські піхотинці у селі Кринки на Херсонщині. 2024 рік. Україна. Кадри з відео української 36-ї окремої бригади морської піхоти" class="wp-image-244142 size-full" height="1080" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MyCollages-2.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1920" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Neutralized Russian marines in Krynky, Kherson region. 2024, Ukraine. Footage from the video of the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">After examining the documents, it was established that the Russians had signed contracts with the Russian marines only a few months ago.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It is reported that the 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Army is fighting on the Russian side in this area.</p><img alt="Документи ліквідованих російських морських піхотинців у селі Кринки на Херсонщині. 2024 рік. Україна. Кадри з відео української 36-ї окремої бригади морської піхоти" class="wp-image-244149 size-full" height="1080" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MyCollages-3-4.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1920" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Documents of the neutralized Russian marines in the village of Krynky in the Kherson region. 2024, Ukraine. Footage from the video of the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian troops continue their attempts to force the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces out from the foothold on the left bank of the Kherson region.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Currently, the village of Krynky is a ruin of houses with basements where Ukrainian soldiers are hiding.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Ukrainian Defense Forces are fighting in difficult conditions on the left bank of the Kherson region, but they manage to hold their positions and work to expand their foothold.</p><img alt="Кринки на неофіційній мапі бойових дій від deepstatemap" class="wp-image-244145 size-full" height="826" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot_4-10.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1286" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Krynky on the unofficial map of hostilities by deepstatemap</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Drones are actively used in this sector. Ukrainian artillery is covering the foothold from the right bank of the Dnipro River.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Meanwhile, the Russian army is actively using aviation to support the military on the front line, mostly by launching munitions beyond the reach of the Ukrainian air defense system.</p><img alt="" class="wp-image-244148 size-full" height="800" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot_6-3.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1286" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The situation in Krynky, Kherson region. November 2023, Ukraine. Photo credits: Telegram channel of Denys Kazansky</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Previously, the Ukrainian Air Force<span> </span><a href="https://mil.in.ua/en/news/french-made-aasm-bomb-strikes-russians-in-the-kherson-region/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">hit</a><span> </span>Russian positions in the Kherson region with a French-made AASM 250 HAMMER guided bomb.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-73109500759820101972024-03-18T10:44:00.005-04:002024-03-18T10:44:40.574-04:00How Czech Republic Has Now Sourced 1.5 Million Artillery Rounds For Ukraine<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6af8MCaNPsaYQJq4TRg3GPS-Yc4KlVFnXi0eajbWv_WRarW702wHJZg-TV_zsS0DDCYv7ZOIIW93cboqgj263tOk8Ij1eOXPVSuOrawJDIOwGBRaBxQH4t0WWbz7OI6qodkqQ8bds0Ha797INh1Er7zzrV7rXMYTL0gkA2n2WTlwC7KyucTvvcwSm3Q/s1400/Image%20-%20remote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6af8MCaNPsaYQJq4TRg3GPS-Yc4KlVFnXi0eajbWv_WRarW702wHJZg-TV_zsS0DDCYv7ZOIIW93cboqgj263tOk8Ij1eOXPVSuOrawJDIOwGBRaBxQH4t0WWbz7OI6qodkqQ8bds0Ha797INh1Er7zzrV7rXMYTL0gkA2n2WTlwC7KyucTvvcwSm3Q/s320/Image%20-%20remote.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>The Czech Republic has used its experience as a respected arms manufacturer to source as many as 1.5 million artillery shells for Ukraine. These will be delivered in batches over the next nine months and more may be available with more funding. <p></p><p>The Czechs' status as a former Soviet state, the perception that it is an ostensibly neutral country and its willingness to serve as a middle man, has made it possible for it to negotiate with businesses and countries who do not want to publicly offend Russia. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Bojan Pancevski reports in the Wall Street Journal</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>The Czech Republic, once a Soviet satellite, is one
of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters. By activating relations dating back
to the Cold War, it has sourced 800,000 artillery shells from a suppliers spanning the globe and identified another
700,000 that could be secured with extra funds. The shells include 300,000 Soviet-standard shells and 500,000
Western-made rounds, to be delivered by the end of the year.
More shells will be available as funding comes. Prague’s efforts exposed a discrepancy between some governments’
friendly attitude to Russia in public and their openness to doing
business with Ukraine in private. “If you come with money they are interested, and Czechia is seen as neutral."<a name='more'></a><br /><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine is about to receive large shipments of the<span> </span><a class="css-1h1us5y-StyledLink el06won0" data-type="link" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-rations-munitions-as-end-of-u-s-aid-looms-russia-inches-forward-42b9462c" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--interactive-text-color); text-decoration: underline;">ammunition it needs most</a>. It won’t come from the U.S., or any other pillar of NATO. </p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Rather, the deal was clinched by a landlocked country of 10 million people sandwiched between Germany and Poland famed for its picturesque capital and the quality of its beer, but which was also home to a large arms industry.</p><div class="paywall css-1u1nl00-PaywalledContentContainer e1qcjy9n0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Retina, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: calc((17 / var(--article-base-font-size)) * var(--article-text-size-scale) * 1rem); font-weight: var(--article-font-weight); line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The Czech Republic, once part of a Soviet satellite state and with little sympathy for Russia’s efforts to restore its lost empire, is one of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters. By activating relations dating back to the Cold War, it has sourced around 800,000 artillery shells from a diverse coalition of suppliers spanning the globe and identified another 700,000 that could be secured with extra funds.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: calc((17 / var(--article-base-font-size)) * var(--article-text-size-scale) * 1rem); font-weight: var(--article-font-weight); line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The shells include 300,000 Soviet-standard shells and around 500,000 Western-made rounds, to be delivered in batches by the end of the year. More shells will be available as funding comes in, the Czech government said. Altogether, Czech officials say around 3 billion euros, equivalent to $3.3 billion, would secure around 1.5 million shells—a fraction of the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine now stranded in the U.S. congress.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: calc((17 / var(--article-base-font-size)) * var(--article-text-size-scale) * 1rem); font-weight: var(--article-font-weight); line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The shipments, which Czech officials say could start reaching Ukraine within weeks, come as shortages of ammunition and troops are forcing Ukraine’s battered army to<span> </span><a class="css-1h1us5y-StyledLink el06won0" data-type="link" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-withdraws-from-besieged-city-as-russia-advances-554644c0" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--interactive-text-color); text-decoration: underline;">pull back in places faced with a Russian onslaught</a>. </p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: calc((17 / var(--article-base-font-size)) * var(--article-text-size-scale) * 1rem); font-weight: var(--article-font-weight); line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The Ukrainian forces are so depleted that they now only fire around two shells for every 10 Russia fires at them, according to Western intelligence estimates.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: calc((17 / var(--article-base-font-size)) * var(--article-text-size-scale) * 1rem); font-weight: var(--article-font-weight); line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The Ukrainians aren’t running out of courage, but “they are running out of ammunition,” said<span> </span>Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia, by contrast, having<span> </span><a class="css-1h1us5y-StyledLink el06won0" data-type="link" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-is-pumping-out-weaponsbut-can-it-keep-it-up-ba30bb04" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--interactive-text-color); text-decoration: underline;">ramped up domestic manufacturing</a><span> </span>and tapped allies such as North Korea, Iran, and Belarus for supplies, is now both outgunning Ukraine on the battlefield and outproducing NATO.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Some military analysts say Ukraine needs up to 200,000 shells of various calibers each month to push back against the renewed onslaught. The supplies organized by the Czech Republic could help Ukraine’s defenders hold back Russia’s advance while the West slowly ramps up its own weapons production.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“The Czech initiative will help Ukraine stabilize the front and regain the upper hand,” said Nico Lange, former chief of the executive staff at the German defense ministry. </p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Czech officials behind the discreet procurement plan said their effort started shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago and largely circumvented the ponderous bureaucracies of NATO and the European Union.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Unlike the U.S., France or Germany, which mainly focused on ramping up domestic production to supply Ukraine, Czech officials said their initiative focused on sourcing existing materiel. Czech officials began quietly crisscrossing the globe, clinching sales deals and negotiating export licenses from scores of manufacturing nations.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Czech officials said the country’s past as a Soviet satellite was an unexpected boon. It gifted the country both a substantial armaments industry with global customers and good relations with many nations in the Global South with large stock</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The officials are coy about where the shells are coming from but say suppliers include some allies of Russia. By contrast, similar entreaties by the U.S. and Western Europeans to potential suppliers in Africa, Asia and Latin America have been rebuffed, according to Western officials. </p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">NATO and EU officials have publicly backed the Czech initiative in recent days. Germany has so far pledged over €500 million, which is by far the largest commitment of all participants, Czech officials said.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Czech Republic’s approach was to act as a middleman, said Tomas Kopecny, the Czech special envoy for Ukraine who helped negotiate the deal. Prague approached nations it knew to have either manufacturing capacity or compatible ammunition in storage and connected them with a Western country that would place an order and pay for the shipment. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Czech Republic would then organize the logistics, with shipments going either through its own borders or through third countries, blurring any direct link between the country of origin and Ukraine so as not to expose the supplier to Moscow’s ire.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Confidentiality is key here: We talk and will talk to anyone, no matter what their allegiance or political stance is—with a very few exceptions, such as North Korea,” said Tomas Pojar, the Czech government’s national security adviser.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Prague’s efforts exposed a discrepancy between some governments’ friendly attitude to Russia in public and their openness to doing business with Ukraine’s allies in private, said Jan Jires, deputy minister of defense. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“If you come with a pile of money they are interested, and Czechia is seen as neutral compared with the U.S., which is often polarizing,” said Jakub Janda, head of the European Values Center for Security Policy, a Prague-based think tank, using an alternate English-language name for the country.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">So far, the Czech Republic has secured funding for the first tranche of around 300,000 shells. Among the donors are Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark. The U.S. isn’t part of the buyers’ club at this stage. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“We are like hobbits—small and peaceful, but in a moment of crisis we jump to forge alliances with much more powerful countries and deliver results,” Kopecny said, referring to the diminutive heroes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” saga.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Kopecny, wearing socks depicting the Kremlin engulfed in flames, said the Czech Republic’s past as a Soviet satellite informed his country’s tough line on the war. Its government sees a Russian defeat in Ukraine as imperative and doesn’t believe in negotiating with President<span> </span><a class="css-1h1us5y-StyledLink el06won0" data-type="phrase" href="https://www.wsj.com/topics/person/vladimir-putin" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--interactive-text-color); text-decoration: underline;">Vladimir Putin</a>. </p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">While larger Western powers such as the U.S. have debated the dangers of sending new types of weapons to Ukraine for fear of provoking Moscow, the Czech Republic began early on to deliver main battle tanks, rocket launchers and large artillery pieces to Kyiv. The launch vehicle for the missiles that<span> </span><a class="css-1h1us5y-StyledLink el06won0" data-type="link" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-black-sea-fleet-flagship-damaged-evacuated-after-ukraine-claims-missile-strike-11649920914" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--interactive-text-color); text-decoration: underline;">sank Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva</a>, was delivered by the Czech Republic.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“It was frustrating to see countries who are far wealthier and more powerful being inactive when it was a matter of life and death for Ukrainians, and by consequence also for us as well,” Kopecny said. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Lange said the success of the Czech initiative was a lesson for larger NATO members that have focused on ramping up their own weapons production, a slow process that is now constricting supplies for Ukraine.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">U.S. production increases have been slowed by the budget impasse in Congress. America will have the capacity to produce nearly 70,000 shells a month by late 2024, rising to 80,000 a month by mid-2025, according to Doug Bush, the Army’s assistant secretary for acquisitions, logistics and technology. <br /></p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">European arms manufacturers are all increasing production, but due to regulation, supply-chain issues, a lack of government financing and a shortage of labor, a significant uptick in production isn’t expected until late next year or early 2026. In the EU, expanding an existing ammunition factory takes around two years, and erecting a new one around five, according to officials and industry representatives from several countries.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The failure of NATO allies to provide Ukraine with enough ammunition isn’t a question of capacity, but one of political will, NATO’s Stoltenberg told reporters Thursday.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The EU has said that its arms companies will be able to produce 1.4 million shells a year by the end of 2024 and two million in late 2025. Up to 50% of all EU defense production was being exported to third countries other than Ukraine until mid-2023, and EU officials have publicly called for defense companies to give priority to exports to Kyiv. The U.K., one of the world’s largest shell producers, also says its capacity to produce shells will have increased eightfold, by early 2025, from the levels before Moscow’s full-scale invasion.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">By comparison, Russia, despite being under severe economic sanctions, is poised to start making nearly three times as much high-caliber ammunition as the U.S. and Europe this year, according to Western intelligence estimates. Russia’s overall artillery production, including rockets, will plateau at three million rounds a year, according to the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Western initiatives have been hindered by…a desire to produce in Europe or the U.S. because countries wanted to combine supporting Ukraine with supporting their industries,” Jires said. “Which is a legitimate goal because we need to rearm ourselves but that’s not what’s needed for the immediate relief of Ukraine.</p><p class="css-k3zb6l-Paragraph e1e4oisd0" data-type="paragraph" style="--summary-bullet-small-font-color: var(--primary-text-color); --summary-font-color: var(--secondary-text-color); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--primary-text-color); direction: var(--article-direction); font-family: var(--article-font-family); font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: calc(1.58824); margin: 0px 0px 1em; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">piles of Soviet-era weapons and the capacity to produce more. <br /></p></div></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-60371362669103787092024-03-18T10:08:00.000-04:002024-03-18T10:08:03.894-04:00Pro-Ukraine Russians Seize More Villages As Cross-Border Assault Grows<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pSOW_mgXoKfxEbqF2e_TeDQLMLELVGGOtYL8vS4wdd2YlKYlLbR_kOrSKSuri7QvNnNDuxAEsF10qvGFjuaaun7OX9q6LHBP9IpctoN1f3WOX5CfNe7biD4wOjhMugOqe0E9Uc4Z8sCiH4IF2uEDr1m_ApeBi8z9rxGwj3Sakh5gOSFmNczTO55F_2s/s2048/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pSOW_mgXoKfxEbqF2e_TeDQLMLELVGGOtYL8vS4wdd2YlKYlLbR_kOrSKSuri7QvNnNDuxAEsF10qvGFjuaaun7OX9q6LHBP9IpctoN1f3WOX5CfNe7biD4wOjhMugOqe0E9Uc4Z8sCiH4IF2uEDr1m_ApeBi8z9rxGwj3Sakh5gOSFmNczTO55F_2s/s320/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Ukraine's increasingly bold attacks inside Russia - with drone assaults on almost half of Russia's oil refineries, some hundreds of miles from the front - have now become more threatening as anti-Putin Russian troops allied with Ukraine have expanded their offensive along a 100 mile front. Several Russian villages have been captured and the city of Belgorod had suffered casualties from bombardment. <p></p><p>With schools and shopping malls closed and some evacuations of Russian civilians ordered, the attacks pose an embarrassing counterpoint to Putin's claims of an election victory, which had already been disputed by many in the west. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Andrew Kramer and Oleksandr Chubko report in the New York Times</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>By both Ukrainian and Russian accounts, fierce fighting has raged along
Russia’s southern border for five days in the most sweeping ground
attacks into Russia since its military invaded Ukraine two years ago. A half-dozen Russian border posts and villages have come under attack
and tanks are the first foreign military assaults inside Russia
since World War II. The attacks continue at 9 sites along a100-mile stretch of border
between Belgorod and
Kursk. With the fighting escalating,
shopping malls were closed Sunday and schools closed
Monday and Tuesday. The attacks divert Russian forces away from the battlefield, put a
dent in Russia’s economy, unnerve
Russians and create leverage in future negotiations.<a name='more'></a><br /><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Gathered in a Ukrainian farmhouse, soldiers checked their kits: rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, spare batteries for radios, red and white flashlights, all that would be needed for a stealthy and daring night assault across the border into Russia.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The soldiers are Russians who have turned against the government of their country’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, and are now fighting for the Ukrainian side by making incursions back into Russia.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Their goal has been to break through a first line of Russian defenses, hoping to open a path for another unit to drive deeper into Russia with tanks and armored personnel carriers.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“We will jump in their trench and hold it,” one of the soldiers, who declined to be identified for security reasons, explained. “Either we take them out, or they take us out.” <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">By both Ukrainian and Russian accounts, fierce fighting has raged along Russia’s southern border for five days in the most sweeping ground attacks into Russia since its military invaded Ukraine two years ago.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Three Russian exile groups, which were openly backed by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, say the assaults are timed to undermine the sense of stability that underlies Mr. Putin’s quest for a fifth term, in which three days of voting wrap up on Sunday.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">With the fighting escalating, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced in a video address posted on Telegram that shopping malls will be closed on Sunday and schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“The situation is quite difficult in the city and the Belgorod region,” he said. “It is clear that teachers, nannies and technical staff are worried.” <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine has grown increasingly bold recently in staging direct attacks inside Russia, sabotaging railroads in Siberia, hitting refineries and fuel depots with exploding drones and now backing groups driving tanks across the border. Fearing Russia might escalate its military response, the United States and its Western allies have throughout the war prohibited Ukraine’s military from using donated weaponry in these attacks. </span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Military analysts say the attacks divert Russian air defenses away from the battlefield, put a dent in Russia’s oil economy where sanctions have fallen short, unnerve Russians and can create leverage in any future negotiations, even as Ukraine suffers setbacks along the front inside the country.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The area around the border where the exile groups are assaulting — a thinly populated area of fields, forest and small villages — had already descended into a chaotic state after nearly two years of Russian cross-border attacks with artillery and small sabotage units that had been slipping into Ukraine.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The response, a politically driven escalation ahead of Russia’s election, is distinct for its scale and the number of soldiers involved, commanders in the Russian exile groups said.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">A half-dozen Russian border posts and villages have come under attack and the tanks are the first foreign military assaults inside Russia since World War II, the Russian exiles say. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The ground fighting coincided with a flurry of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and on the Russian city of Belgorod. Two people died in drone strikes in the city on Saturday, the regional governor said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Mr. Putin, speaking at a security council meeting Friday, described “attacks on peaceful settlements in the territory of Russia” and said 2,500 soldiers, whom he called mercenaries, directed by the Ukrainian government, along with tanks and armored vehicles, were carrying out assaults along the border. The attacks at five sites were intended to disrupt voting this weekend but all had been repelled, Mr. Putin said, adding, “the enemy will not go unpunished for these strikes.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The three exile groups — Free Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Siberian Battalion — have declined to disclose their numbers but confirm the use of tanks in the fighting. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Putin has twice commented on our special liberation operation, which means we are hitting the target,” said Aleksey Baranovsky, a spokesman for the Free Russia Legion. The attacks, he added, were intended to show resistance to Mr. Putin during an otherwise stage-managed election. </span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“An election is a time for our voices to be heard,” he said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The attacks are continuing along a roughly 100-mile stretch of border between the Sumy and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine and the Belgorod and Kursk regions of Russia, according to both Russian and Ukrainian sources.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian military bloggers have identified nine incursion sites. Both sides described cross-border helicopter assaults staged from inside Ukraine. The preparation for the operation, witnessed by journalists with The New York Times, involved about 50 soldiers, two tanks and four armored personnel carriers, including two American-designed M-113 armored personnel carriers. Many nations have donated M-113s to Ukraine.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement Friday that it had repelled all the attacks and used rockets to strike the invading soldiers who had landed by helicopter, forcing them into a minefield. The statement said Russian forces had destroyed 18 tanks and 23 other armored vehicles.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Farther from the border area, Ukrainian drones on Saturday hit two oil refineries in the Samara region, on the Volga River in central Russia, starting a fire at one, regional officials and Russian media reported. Ukraine has struck a dozen or so refineries since the beginning of the year, and Russian media have reported rising gasoline prices inside Russia.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine has been recruiting among exiled Russian nationalists and disaffected ethnic minorities. The leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Denis Kapustin, openly espouses far-right views and uses White Rex as his military call sign. German officials and the Anti-Defamation League have identified Mr. Kapustin as a neo-Nazi. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">In an interview at a base in a Ukrainian village on Wednesday, Mr. Kapustin said the attacks inside Russia timed to the election were larger than the sabotage operations with small units he had conducted.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The group, he said, was now attacking “en masse with tanks, armored vehicles and artillery” and had successfully destabilized the border region ahead of the election. Along with a cross-border attack last spring, he said, his group had been able to derail trains in small operations.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">His group’s assaults into Russia, he said, had pierced Mr. Putin’s assumption that Russia would be immune from retaliatory attacks after having invaded Ukraine.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“Obviously, they were shocked,” he said of Russia’s leadership. “They realized, OK, the Pandora’s box is open now. Anything can happen.” <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine’s military, he said, “helps us enormously” with intelligence, logistics and evacuation of wounded, but, he added, it does not send Ukrainian citizens across the border into Russia. The operations’ ultimate goal, he said, is more than making “hit-and-run” attacks; it is to hold territory inside Russia.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The cross-border incursions, he said, had forced Russia to divert military resources that could have gone to the front in southeastern Ukraine. Still, Russian troops have an advantage in numbers, weaponry and ammunition and have been creeping forward in the trench fighting in Ukraine.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The Ukrainian-backed groups have suffered setbacks on the border, too. Russian jets have been bombing near the border inside Ukraine, and Ukrainian authorities on Saturday ordered the evacuation of 22 towns and villages.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">After clipping on gear and checking their weapons, the unit of the Russian Volunteer Corps that suited up in a farmhouse in the predawn hours Thursday were ready to launch their attack inside Russia — but the tanks and armored vehicles for the second wave of their assault were nowhere to be seen.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The soldiers sat on the floor, and one fell asleep on top of boxes of tank ammunition. The column of armored vehicles had gotten lost on back roads near the border. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“Send me your coordinates,” a commander shouted over the radio at the armored personnel carrier drivers. The drivers did not know them.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“Is it stupidity or sabotage?” the commander yelled back.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Trucks were sent to look for the armored vehicles. Hours passed before they arrived, and it was already dawn, even though the incursion into Russia was to have begun at night. It would now take place in daylight.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“It’s a war, nothing ever goes according to the plan,” one of the officers said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Later, one tank broke down before reaching the border, and another was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade in the fighting.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The group returned to its base Thursday evening, without having broken through a line of defenses just across the Russian border.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-36429465465269726412024-03-18T09:42:00.006-04:002024-03-18T10:11:55.851-04:00Anti-Putin Russians Expand Their Attacks For 5th Day, Cause Border Region Chaos<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtyyM5wjGlVLfHhaquMvsxx1MQSyfNElbc6k0XG1r7cUs1ZtXmZqcF-NHa-o5I1Ky_6DC46vHTa1PeBYe4NegbdLz38Xrfcq-JAMFHBmPxj4N2oDF4ynmBI_r4b59U0voJMYJ3WCwuL5Mh1YHs5KLxie8_eVPHRflaDmFioP0RD67MTGVeITbXrapjD8/s1600/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtyyM5wjGlVLfHhaquMvsxx1MQSyfNElbc6k0XG1r7cUs1ZtXmZqcF-NHa-o5I1Ky_6DC46vHTa1PeBYe4NegbdLz38Xrfcq-JAMFHBmPxj4N2oDF4ynmBI_r4b59U0voJMYJ3WCwuL5Mh1YHs5KLxie8_eVPHRflaDmFioP0RD67MTGVeITbXrapjD8/s320/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Russia is betting/hoping the anti-Putin forces' cross-border attack will peter out as local troops inflict some casualties. <p></p><p>But as the groups seized yet another village inside Russia, Ukraine may begin providing more artillery and air support to force the Kremlin to divert already depleted units from the front line in Ukraine. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>David Axe reports in Forbes</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Russian volunteer groups fighting on behalf of Ukraine
continue their latest—and biggest—incursion into Russia’s
border oblasts, a week after the groups fought their way
across the frontier. The goal isn’t to seize ground: it’s to embarrass and de-legitimize Russian president Putin. But yesterday, the volunteers<span> </span>marched into Gor'kovskii, west of Kozinka, which they had already seized.With its military stretched thin sustaining a largely failed
offensive in Ukraine, the Kremlin hasn’t
been willing to shift troops to Belgorod and Kursk, hoping they will peter out. "These actions reveal the
weakness of Russian forces protecting the border
and their limited ability to respond to such
incidents.” <a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A trio of Russian volunteer groups fighting on behalf of Ukraine on Sunday continued their latest—and potentially biggest—incursion into Russia’s border oblasts, nearly a week after the groups first fought their way across the Russia-Ukraine frontier.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="article_paragraph_2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="COym9tfy_YQDFbwQswAdNXAKYg" id="article-0-top" style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 1536px;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-delta-h/masthead/default/standard_2__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The three far-right groups—the Liberty of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Siberia Battalion—infiltrated Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts in southwestern Russia overnight on March 12.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Liberty of Russia Legion<span> </span><a aria-label="lost a T-64 tank" class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/12/ukraine-just-invaded-russia-again/?sh=43924a9976c7" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/12/ukraine-just-invaded-russia-again/?sh=43924a9976c7" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/12/ukraine-just-invaded-russia-again/?sh=43924a9976c7">lost a T-64 tank</a><span> </span>to a mine at the border crossing into Tetkino, in Kursk Oblast, but still managed to eject Russian police and paramilitaries from the town.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The legion along with the Russian Volunteer Corps and Siberia Battalion meanwhile captured Kozinka in Belgorod Oblast, compelling local Russian authorities to urge civilians in the area to evacuate.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The incursions are consistent with what Piotr Żochowski, an analyst with the Polish Center for Eastern Studies, last year<span> </span><a aria-label="characterized" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2023-06-09/belgorod-syndrome-ukrainian-incursion-reveals-weakness-russian" href="https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2023-06-09/belgorod-syndrome-ukrainian-incursion-reveals-weakness-russian" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2023-06-09/belgorod-syndrome-ukrainian-incursion-reveals-weakness-russian">characterized</a><span> </span>as “subversive and psychological operation[s]” by Ukraine-aligned Russian volunteer forces that have been operating from Ukrainian soil since Russia widened its war on Ukraine two years ago.</p><div class="article_paragraph_7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The goal isn’t really to seize ground. Rather, it’s to embarrass and de-legitimize Russian president Vladimir Putin. It’s no accident that the latest incursions were timed to culminate on or around March 17, when Russia held its sham federal elections.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Even if these actions have little military significance, they have revealed the weakness of the Russian forces responsible for protecting the border and, most importantly, their limited ability to respond quickly to such incidents,” Żochowski commented.</p><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="COnhsNjy_YQDFXPplAkd01MH0A" id="article-0-topx-1" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-delta-h/masthead/default/standard_3__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><div class="embed-base embedly-align" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 19px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">With its main military forces stretched thin sustaining a largely failed offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine, the Kremlin so far hasn’t been willing to shift significant formations—whole regiments or brigades—to Belgorod and Kursk to meet the pro-Ukrainian Russian groups.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Russia uses conscripts to defend its border with Ukraine against limited incursions,” the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C.<span> </span><a aria-label="noted" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-12-2024" href="https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-12-2024" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-12-2024">noted</a>. The group “assessed that this is likely due to Russia’s unwillingness to transfer forces away from the front line elsewhere in Ukraine.”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Moscow apparently is gambling that a few under-trained local troops can offer just enough resistance to deplete the volunteer groups. The groups aren’t terribly large—just a few hundred men apiece—and lack deep logistical support as they operate separately from the Ukrainian armed forces. Instead, they answer to the intelligence directorate in Kyiv, but only loosely.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It’s not clear yet whether the Kremlin’s gamble will pay off. On Sunday,<span> </span><a aria-label="according to" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://cdsdailybrief.substack.com/p/russias-war-on-ukraine-17032024?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1598923&post_id=142699122&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=7jgcu&triedRedirect=true" href="https://cdsdailybrief.substack.com/p/russias-war-on-ukraine-17032024?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1598923&post_id=142699122&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=7jgcu&triedRedirect=true" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://cdsdailybrief.substack.com/p/russias-war-on-ukraine-17032024?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1598923&post_id=142699122&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=7jgcu&triedRedirect=true">according to</a><span> </span>the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies, local Russian forces blocked further advances by the pro-Ukraine volunteers north of Kozinka. But at the same time, the volunteers<span> </span><a aria-label="marched into Gor'kovskii" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/status/1769322201776304438" href="https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/status/1769322201776304438" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/status/1769322201776304438">marched into Gor'kovskii</a>, west of Kozinka.</p><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="CI_L4Nvy_YQDFZMoswAdm3UGGg" id="article-0-topx-2" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-delta-h/masthead/default/standard_4__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Kyiv like Moscow isn’t devoting a whole lot of resources to the border operations. What the anti-Putin Russians achieve, they achieve at their own initiative and with minimal government support.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But the intelligence directorate is impressed with the depth and endurance of the latest incursions. “There is no doubt they are hitting their stride,” Ukrainian intel chief Kyrylo Budanov<span> </span><a aria-label="said about the volunteers" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/16/7446799/" href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/16/7446799/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/16/7446799/">said about the volunteers</a><span> </span>on Saturday. “We’re going to try and help them as much as we can.”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It’s possible the intelligence directorate is helping to coordinate military air support for the volunteers’ attacks. On Sunday, Russian air-defenses apparently<span> </span><a aria-label="shot down" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://twitter.com/aldin_aba/status/1769326623440957593" href="https://twitter.com/aldin_aba/status/1769326623440957593" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/aldin_aba/status/1769326623440957593">shot down</a><span> </span>a Ukrainian army Hind attack helicopter in Sumy Oblast, on the Ukraine side of the border just opposite Kozinka.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-20048357373752299252024-03-18T09:09:00.007-04:002024-03-18T09:12:17.157-04:00As Economy Is More Tech-Reliant, Age Discrimination Benefits Non-Tech Firms<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRmPEaoSzQ6HyXSoBIhebKol4bpAjblGrr3Wah8mAKPfyjStv7jVO7JZHgNqjFzDTPszCJkBSGfnYMgwvmA2oox2i0BMqbSd2QcHg-RvgY45ola5tgoYroIFddCxL8TFO0_KucCu_O-3MXx9x8e8BEVKC9EsXuPP__cL4s0j7itMub9bGjGENHJB7s2M/s670/Image%20-%20demo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="670" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRmPEaoSzQ6HyXSoBIhebKol4bpAjblGrr3Wah8mAKPfyjStv7jVO7JZHgNqjFzDTPszCJkBSGfnYMgwvmA2oox2i0BMqbSd2QcHg-RvgY45ola5tgoYroIFddCxL8TFO0_KucCu_O-3MXx9x8e8BEVKC9EsXuPP__cL4s0j7itMub9bGjGENHJB7s2M/w400-h226/Image%20-%20demo.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div>Age discrimination is a fact of life in tech. The dotcom foundational myth of young white guys starting billion dollar companies in garages around Palo Alto remains. <p></p><p>And as tech firms lay off workers in search for different kinds of skills, this may thwart older workers (like those over 29...). But as every company becomes a tech company, this may benefit those firms not explicitly 'tech' who need coding expertise and experience. JL <i> </i></p><p><i>Amanda Hoover reports in Wired</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Tech companies have laid off more than 400,000 workers over the past two years. Data shows US tech workers skew younger than the wider US
workforce. Older workers may be out of work for longer between jobs because ageism is “an open secret in the tech industry”. Older workers are (often) excluded because recruiters
assume they (do)
not fit into the company culture. Consistent growth in recent decades as the economy has become more tech-centric means that recruiters perceive more senior workers wouldn’t be appealing to employers. “There
are a lot of people who have a lot of skills who are unemployed longer
than they ought to be. It’s a loss for them, and it’s a loss for
society.”<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="lead-in-text-callout" face="Apercu, helvetica, sans-serif" style="--type-token: discovery.hed-bulletin-primary; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-feature-settings: normal; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 1.5px; line-break: auto; line-height: 1.29412em; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: normal; text-transform: uppercase;">THE US ECONOMY</span><span> </span>is showing remarkable health, but in the tech industry, layoffs<span> </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/tech-layoffs-2024-amazon-google-discord-twitch/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">keep coming</a>. For those out of work, finding a new position can become a full-time job. And in tech—a sector notoriously always looking for the next hot, new thing—some people whose days as fresh-faced coders are long gone say that having decades of experience can feel like a disadvantage.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ageism is a longtime problem in the tech industry. Database startup RelevantDB went viral in 2021 after it posted a job listing bragging, “<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90669478/we-hire-old-people-job-posting-for-software-developer-sparks-a-viral-conversation-about-ageism-in-tech" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">We hire old people</a>,” which played off industry stereotypes. In 2020, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that<span> </span><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-u-s-equal-employment-opportunity-commission-confirms-a-pattern-of-age-discrimination-at-ibm" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">IBM</a><span> </span>had engaged in age discrimination, pushing out older workers to make room for younger ones. (The company has<span> </span><a class="external-link" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://newsroom.ibm.com/IBM-Chief-Human-Resources-Officer-Addresses-False-Claims-of-Systemic-Age-Discrimination"}" data-offer-url="https://newsroom.ibm.com/IBM-Chief-Human-Resources-Officer-Addresses-False-Claims-of-Systemic-Age-Discrimination" href="https://newsroom.ibm.com/IBM-Chief-Human-Resources-Officer-Addresses-False-Claims-of-Systemic-Age-Discrimination" rel="noopener" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;" target="_blank">denied</a><span> </span>engaging in “systemic age discrimination.”)</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A recent<span> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/linkedin-ads_no-one-knows-what-you-do-cloud-salesman-activity-7128022104867819521-gw34/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">LinkedIn ad</a><span> </span>that shows an older woman unfamiliar with tech jargon saying her son sells invisible clouds triggered a backlash from people who say it unfairly portrayed older people as out of touch. In response, Jim Habig, LinkedIn’s vice president of marketing, says: “This ad didn't meet our goal to create experiences where all professionals feel welcomed and valued, and we are working to replace the spot.”</p><div class="Container-bkChBi byNLHx" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"CNEInterludeEmbed"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"CNEInterludeEmbed"}" data-include-experiments="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ageism is “an open secret in the tech industry,” says Maureen Clough, host of<span> </span><a class="external-link" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://www.itgetslateearly.com/"}" data-offer-url="https://www.itgetslateearly.com/" href="https://www.itgetslateearly.com/" rel="noopener" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;" target="_blank"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">It Gets Late Early</i></a>, a podcast about aging in tech. Even when ageism isn’t as blatant as the IBM case, she says, it lurks behind common ideas in industry hiring, such as culture fit. “If you have a company that is predominantly young, white, and male, it’s going to be harder to get in there,” Clough says.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Vern Six, a 58-year-old programmer, says he recently ran into explicit ageism on his job hunt. A recruiter told him that he wouldn’t be appealing to employers and opined that Six should be chief technology officer at this point in his career, not a software developer, Six says.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="ConsumerMarketingUnitThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut consumer-marketing-unit consumer-marketing-unit--article-mid-content" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="consumer-marketing-unit__slot consumer-marketing-unit__slot--article-mid-content consumer-marketing-unit__slot--in-content" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><div class="journey-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div></div><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">After Six’s<span> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7167946832742928385/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">LinkedIn post</a><span> </span>about that encounter went viral, he created a<span> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14418151/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">LinkedIn group</a><span> </span>for people to discuss ageism in tech. He says he has often thought his age might play a role in job hunting, but “this was the first time I’ve ever had anybody say it directly.”</p><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--in-content" style="-webkit-box-align: center; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; align-items: center; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="ad-label" face="WiredMono, helvetica, sans-serif" style="--type-token: globalEditorial.ad-label; box-sizing: border-box; color: #979797; display: block; font-feature-settings: normal; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.15em; line-break: auto; line-height: 1em; overflow-wrap: normal; padding-top: 1.5em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; top: -1.5rem;"><br /></span></div><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Industry and government data shows that US tech workers skew younger than the wider US workforce, but definitive data on differences in hiring patterns for older and younger tech workers has been hard to gather. That’s because so many more senior tech workers get jobs by networking or moving between companies where they know people rather than by cold applying, and that’s tricky to study and quantify, says Joanna Lahey, a professor of public policy at Texas A&M University who studies age discrimination.</p><div class="inline-recirc-wrapper inline-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monitor-anchor" data-attr-viewport-monitor="inline-recirc" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-include-experiments="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Older workers may be out of work for longer between jobs because they’re more likely to seek higher salaries or be selective, says Lahey. But if older workers are excluded from some positions because recruiters assume they wouldn’t take a lower offer or position or are perceived as not fitting into the company culture, that’s a problem, she says. “There are a lot of people who have a lot of skills who are unemployed longer than they ought to be. It’s a loss for them, and it’s a loss for society.” <br /></p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Tech companies have laid off more than 400,000 workers over the past two years, according to<span> </span><a class="external-link" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://layoffs.fyi/"}" data-offer-url="https://layoffs.fyi/" href="https://layoffs.fyi/" rel="noopener" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;" target="_blank">Layoffs.fyi</a>, which tracks job cuts in the industry. To older workers, the purge is both a reminder of the dotcom bust, and a new frontier. The industry’s generally consistent growth in recent decades as the economy has become more tech-centric means that many more senior workers—which in tech can sometimes be considered to mean over 35 but includes people in their late forties, fifties, or sixties—may have less experience with job hunting.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">For decades, tech workers could easily hop between jobs in their networks, often poached by recruiters. And as tech companies boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic’s early days, increased demand for skills gave workers leverage. Now the power has shifted to the employers as companies seek to become efficient and correct that overhiring phase, and<span> </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/tech-job-interviews-out-of-control/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">applicants are hitting walls</a>. Workers have to network, stay active on LinkedIn, join message boards, and stand out. With<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/multi-generation-work-place-1.4980659#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%20in%20contemporary%20history%2C%20there%20are%20four,Z%20%E2%80%94%20human%20resources%20experts%20say." style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">four generations</a><span> </span>now clocking in to work, things can feel crowded. <br /></p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“You have to essentially adapt to how people are sourcing and looking for new talent,” and that’s changed in the past few years, says Devika Brij, the CEO and founder of Brij the Gap Consulting, a firm focused on developing and retaining underrepresented workers. Recruiters are looking for people with personal brands and perspectives, who contribute to conversation on LinkedIn or in newsletters. Résumés with experience matter, but workers need to show more. Sharing perspectives and articles on social media “helps people understand and know that you are a contributor,” Brij says. “You’re more than just a job.”</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Some out-of-work tech workers now wonder if they’ll find full-time jobs again. Gabriel Schillaci, 56, has done contract and freelance developer and IT work from his home in Argentina for decades. Since his most recent gig ended last year, Schillaci estimates, he has applied for 100 jobs but heard back from only two. He finds the application process daunting: There are calls with recruiters that he says are removed from the tech side of the business, more interviews, and then sometimes<span> </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/why-tech-job-interviews-became-such-a-nightmare/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">sample projects that take hours</a>.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It’s a huge shift: In 2022, Schillaci says, recruiters were constantly messaging him on LinkedIn; now he’s the one sending the messages. “I always prefer to have a personal meeting, so they know me, they know how much I do, how much I did, what I know,” he says. Schillaci is also concerned about how<span> </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/hilke-schellmann-algorithm-book-ai-jobs-hiring/" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: underline; transition: color 200ms ease 0s;">automated the hiring process has become</a><span> </span>and wonders if his résumé might be skipped for missing certain keywords. “I think all the automated tools nowadays for recruiting people do not work” for more experienced workers.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Finding human connections can offer a way around that problem. After Rob McMurtrie, 51, was laid off from his communications job at a fintech company in June, he says, he applied to 260 jobs but talked to just 11 companies. He estimates that about half of those conversations came about because he contacted someone he knew at the company rather than just cold applying.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The tough job market has pushed McMurtrie to do more than just apply for jobs and expect his résumé and experience to speak for him, as he did in the past. Now he also reaches out to hiring managers and is commenting on social posts about open positions. “The level of engagement for each role that you want to pursue has gone up,” he says. As of March, McMurtrie had taken a contract role on the path to a full-time job at a software company, and he got in the door thanks to his connections, he says.</p><div class="inline-recirc-wrapper inline-recirc-observer-target-2 viewport-monitor-anchor" data-attr-viewport-monitor="inline-recirc" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-include-experiments="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Some have filled their days off with new work. Jeremy Reid, 53, was laid off from a recruiting job at a tech company in May 2023. He looked for work for a time without much luck and has spent the months since then building an app called InterviewNext that combines his experience in product management and HR. It uses artificial intelligence to help recruiters with repetitive tasks.</p><p class="paywall" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Reid hopes the app will ultimately help him with his job search, showing that he spent his time out of work, well, working. “At some point, you’re going to get asked, ‘What have you been doing all this time?’” Reid says. “And you want to be able to say something more than just looking for work.” So far, the app has done more to start conversations and open doors than his résumé. Still, ageism is on Reid’s mind; a lurking problem, with no clear solution. “How do you adjust your job search?” he says. “You just try to bring your best, true self to the table, and you hope that’s enough.”</p><figure class="IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-dRedg kSrFfN iframe-embed" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"IframeEmbed"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"IframeEmbed"}" data-include-experiments="true" data-testid="IframeEmbed" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; display: block; font-family: BreveText, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.108px; margin: 0px auto; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="IframeEmbedContainer-hptgUZ hFGDtL" data-testid="IframeEmbedContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; text-align: right; width: 679.6px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br /></div></figure></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-82852406129062016222024-03-17T14:38:00.002-04:002024-03-17T14:38:12.494-04:00Ukrainian Drones Hit Moscow's Main Domodedovo Airport<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdSGbGULLq-LsJHbQVmaGZ3Nj_Vlame9eRlSyz0uupf0WXKlwfbgTWPhgEF3qRtF2cF8so2Q0e_Rz-Jw5qdOY4uKg1993k-B7al4GTmH-w3oCpLlnDUq1n1Eu5QA5k0Yr-XIWCortYHJDlRlwrMxcdWtwxYSvzG0ay2gTSoqMyuN6SkOYcYnSpE4aZC4/s872/Image%20-%20threat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="872" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdSGbGULLq-LsJHbQVmaGZ3Nj_Vlame9eRlSyz0uupf0WXKlwfbgTWPhgEF3qRtF2cF8so2Q0e_Rz-Jw5qdOY4uKg1993k-B7al4GTmH-w3oCpLlnDUq1n1Eu5QA5k0Yr-XIWCortYHJDlRlwrMxcdWtwxYSvzG0ay2gTSoqMyuN6SkOYcYnSpE4aZC4/s320/Image%20-%20threat.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>The damage inflicted is less important than sending Russian citizens the message that they are no longer safe going about their daily business because of Putin's Ukraine invasion. JL<i> </i><p></p><p><i>Ellie Cook reports in Newsweek</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Ukrainian explosive drones hit the roof of
Moscow's Domodedovo airport, after a video<span> </span>shows a flash and audible buzzing sound which can be
distinctive of drone strikes. In another clip, a loud explosion<span> </span>can
be heard as pedestrians watch and move to take cover. Another video
circulating online shows a cavernous room filling up with
smoke. Flight restrictions on takeoffs and landings were placed on several of the city's airports.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainian explosive drones targeted the Russian capital city overnight, according to local authorities, as unverified footage appears to show uncrewed vehicles approaching one of Moscow's main airports.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">A brief vide<a class="multivariate" href="https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1769262283245429002" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">o posted to social media on Sunday</a><span> </span>shows a flash as an unidentified object hits the roof of what appears to be part of Moscow's Domodedovo airport, after an audible buzzing sound which can be distinctive of drone strikes.<a class="multivariate" href="https://twitter.com/ferozwala/status/1769272404373860782" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"></a></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="multivariate" href="https://twitter.com/ferozwala/status/1769272404373860782" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">In another clip, a loud explosion</a><span> </span>can be heard as pedestrians watch and move to take cover. Another video circulating online appears to show a cavernous room filling up with smoke.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian Telegram channel Mash posted a video it said showed the "moment of destruction of a Ukrainian drone near the capital's Domodedovo airport," adding that debris had fallen onto a nearby warehouse.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine has previously launched a series of drone attacks on the Russian capital, and has periodically used uncrewed aerial vehicles to target Moscow, along with other regions of internationally recognized Russian territory.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-moscow-drone-attack-ukraine-explosion-videos-1816202" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Kyiv damaged a series of buildings</a><span> </span>in Moscow in the summer of 2023, and has<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-drones-belgorod-oil-depot-attack-1878196" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">upped its drone strikes on wider Russian territory<span> </span></a>in recent weeks<a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-drones-belgorod-oil-depot-attack-1878196" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">.</a><span> </span>Drone assaults have temporarily<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/moscow-closes-airspace-airports-drone-attack-1853699" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">disrupted activity at Moscow's major airports</a>, including Domodedovo.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian authorities said the country's air defenses had destroyed a slew of Ukrainian drones over the capital, including over Domodedovo, but did not specify the airport as a target.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Flight restrictions were placed on several of the city's airports, Russian independent news outlet Astra reported, citing the country's Federal Air Transport Agency. Russia's state-backed news agency RIA Novosti then reported that the controls on aircraft taking off and landing at the airports had been lifted.</p>Ukraine is contending with Russia's almost constant drone and missile strikes on its key infrastructure. Kyiv's air force said on Sunday it had shot down 14 kamikaze drones overnight.<figure class="fullCode" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 10px auto 20px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="innerBox" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="code" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; width: 550px;"></div></div></div></figure><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Sunday that air defenses in the Domodedovo area of the capital had "repelled an attack by two drones flying towards Moscow." Sobyanin later said another three drones, including one over Domodedovo, were shot down by air defenses.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Debris fell, but there were no casualties nor damage,</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia's Defense Ministry said in a separate statement on Sunday that its air defenses had shot down 35 Ukrainian uncrewed vehicles across its territory overnight, including four over the Moscow region. In a following update, the Russian government said it had destroyed another airborne drone over the capital at around 10:15 a.m. Moscow time (3:15 a.m. ET)</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-1217177320216396342024-03-17T10:56:00.002-04:002024-03-17T10:57:02.345-04:00Finland Seconds France, Threatening To Send Troops To Fight Russia In Ukraine<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBkR2vv5TvEprUngmYJYOR_4xnz5NLPTGb-jD2m_3_uqqT-mi0qaV16HMZ9Ugn23J5XS_N8YxlVKnMJLJX-e62Hv4WnzCzDrwkUfh2hqVbLD-reHrglcTWMaWTufIxWVwPjrR_Op_8V65avjAArhb95iqIPkOwh7jm6WjUIOxaX77Heehyphenhyphenh6rIkjPEhw/s2000/Image%20-%20face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBkR2vv5TvEprUngmYJYOR_4xnz5NLPTGb-jD2m_3_uqqT-mi0qaV16HMZ9Ugn23J5XS_N8YxlVKnMJLJX-e62Hv4WnzCzDrwkUfh2hqVbLD-reHrglcTWMaWTufIxWVwPjrR_Op_8V65avjAArhb95iqIPkOwh7jm6WjUIOxaX77Heehyphenhyphenh6rIkjPEhw/s320/Image%20-%20face.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>In its last war with Russia 80+ years ago, the Finnish Army beat and humiliated the Russians before agreeing to a ceasefire. <p></p><p>Much better armed, with a far wealthier economy - and a long border with Russia, Finland now presents a more significant threat to the Russians. As does nuclear-armed France. That both are willing to publicly discuss possible intervention if Russia shows signs of winning in Ukraine reveals that Europe is now fully awake to the threat that Putin's Russia poses to Europe. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil report in Politico</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen’s remark comes a day after French Presid<b>ent Emmanuel Macron</b><span> </span>stood by his refusal<span> </span>to rule out sending troops to Ukraine. Valtonen’s remark was about a longer-term, hypothetical choice. But her
reasoning shows that, as the war drags on, European countries who could
face immediate danger from an emboldened Moscow may be willing to
consider the option more seriously. As one of NATO’s two newest faces, Finland has spent more than 0.6 percent of GDP for Ukraine - the U.S.<span> </span>has earmarked<span> </span>about 0.3% for Kyiv and surpassed the alliance’s 2% GDP spending target.<a name='more'></a>Western countries, including the United States, shouldn’t be entirely opposed to the idea of sending troops to Ukraine if conditions there worsen, Finnish Foreign Minister<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">ELINA VALTONEN</b><span> </span>told NatSec Daily.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>“It’s important that we not rule everything out for the long term, because we never know how serious the situation becomes,” Valtonen said in an interview this morning. “But the Finnish position is clear: We are not right now sending any troops and not willing to discuss that.”</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>Valtonen’s remark comes a day after French President<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">EMMANUEL MACRON</b><span> </span><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/im-right-about-not-being-specific-macron-says-doubling-down-on-strategic-ambiguity/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">stood by his refusal</a><span> </span>to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, which has<span> </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/02/27/france-troops-in-ukraine-us-no-00143498" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">caused a rift</a><span> </span>with the U.S. and European leaders who staunchly oppose the potential move. Washington also<span> </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/02/27/france-troops-in-ukraine-us-no-00143498" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">isn’t so hot about the idea</a>. Finland appeared closed off to the idea only a few weeks ago. After meeting with Macron during a summit of European leaders in late February, then-Finnish President<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">SAULI NIINISTÖ<span> </span></b><a href="https://yle.fi/a/74-20076655#:~:text=Finnish%20President%20Sauli%20Niinist%C3%B6%20said,new%20ways%20to%20support%20Ukraine." style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>“there was a widely shared perception that there would be no military presence” — meaning no deployment of Western soldiers to Kyiv. He added, “this was also Finland’s position.”</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>Russian President<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">VLADIMIR PUTIN</b><span> </span>has been clear that he’d consider such troops coming to Ukraine’s defense<span> </span><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-nuclear-war-vladimir-putin/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20them%20with%20us,says%2C%20referring%20to%20Moscow's%20nukes.&text=Russian%20President%20Vladimir%20Putin%20claimed,his%20latest%20saber%2Drattling%20comments." style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">a significant escalation</a><span> </span>— and could raise the risk of starting nuclear war with the West. But Ukraine’s soldiers have been<span> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-troops-withdraw-avdiivka-ammunition-shortage-bites-2024-02-17/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">struggling to fend off</a><span> </span>invading soldiers in recent weeks, and a<span> </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-draft-b2ca1d0ecd72019be2217a653989fbc2" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">lack of troops</a><span> </span>is among Kyiv’s main concerns.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>Valtonen’s remark was about a longer-term, hypothetical choice. But her reasoning shows that, as the war drags on, European countries who could face immediate danger from an emboldened Moscow may be willing to consider the option more seriously.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>A pair of former U.S. ambassadors to NATO told NatSec Daily they agree with the idea that the U.S. and other countries should be open to sending troops. Keeping it on the table — even if Washington never wants to deploy soldiers there — would signal to Putin that the West fully backs Ukraine.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>“Given where we are, and given the stakes of the conflict, rethinking assumptions is a good thing,” said<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">IVO DAALDER</b>, who served in the post during the Obama administration. “But the way to do that is behind closed doors, building consensus through persuasion and diplomacy, perhaps with the aim of getting agreement by the NATO Summit on who and what steps they might take.”<b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"></b></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">KURT VOLKER</b>, who was in the post during the last Bush administration, said he was very concerned with the response to Macron’s suggestion from the U.S. and Germany, which was “sharply critical and sent exactly the wrong message to Putin: that he can do what he wants.”</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>The Biden administration is adamant U.S. troops won’t go.“I can just speak for this sovereign nation and this commander in chief and he’s made it clear that we will not put U.S. boots on the ground,” National Security Council spokesperson<span> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">JOHN KIRBY</b><span> </span>said from the White House podium today.Kirby told reporters that the U.S. hasn’t urged other countries to stop talking about sending troops to Ukraine, and that the administration wouldn’t oppose other nations sending their forces to help Kyiv fight.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>“Those are sovereign decisions,” he said.What’s most important right now, Valtonen said, is that Ukraine’s backers continue to send assistance. As one of NATO’s two newest faces, Finland has been doing its part: It has spent more than 0.6 percent of GDP for Ukraine — the U.S.<span> </span><a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/these-countries-have-committed-the-most-aid-to-ukraine" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #015da6; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.25s ease 0s;" target="_blank">has earmarked</a><span> </span>about 0.3 percent for Kyiv — and surpassed the alliance’s 2 percent GDP spending target.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>“Many European countries could do so much more,” Valtonen said.And with Ukraine assistance stalled in Congress, Washington’s reputation on the world stage is at stake: “If the man or woman on the street feel that the U.S. basically doesn’t care so much anymore about these values, then of course, it might have an impact,” she said.</blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-58632667317773852972024-03-17T10:36:00.004-04:002024-03-17T10:36:48.979-04:00Does Ukraine Drone Tech Mean Piloted Plane "Air Superiority" Is Obsolete?<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9a-6IEYTXgoVczkoUfSypZvrE1RnPDaKgWRsDfTE9m5BlnRP1w0EcSFw7mFHGXBXLkiqJhSs7d2VDDONJEDp2GO6qNS21U7wMr34KfWTfssBQgFqTD4LTWbevOydoIuuJaeOjEe3nNiZ-gLosTVoxkhvt8bsPPVeY_jAPJtFqikP0PkWGqc6eeUVXlE/s450/Image%20-%20remote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9a-6IEYTXgoVczkoUfSypZvrE1RnPDaKgWRsDfTE9m5BlnRP1w0EcSFw7mFHGXBXLkiqJhSs7d2VDDONJEDp2GO6qNS21U7wMr34KfWTfssBQgFqTD4LTWbevOydoIuuJaeOjEe3nNiZ-gLosTVoxkhvt8bsPPVeY_jAPJtFqikP0PkWGqc6eeUVXlE/s320/Image%20-%20remote.jpg" width="213" /></a></i></div>It may be premature to declare that any weapons system is obsolete, but it is clear that drones now dominate the skies over Ukraine and other recent battlefields, even as air defenses make it more difficult to deploy manned fighter and bomber aircraft in the face of computer controlled missile systems. <p></p><p>One $30,000 suicide drone is capable of destroying a multi-million tank and air defenses capable of taking down piloted aircraft are increasingly accurate. Which raises questions about how many $130 million F-35 jet countries are going to be willing to buy. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>David Barno and Nora Bensahel report in War On the Rocks</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>For<span> </span>70 years, the U.S. Air Force maintained air superiority over every battlefield on which U.S. troops fought. Today, the Air Force faces an existential crisis. It completely dominated the air for so long that it
was not prepared to fight for control of the skies thanks to the drone revolution (which) wrested command of the air away from manned
aircraft. The drone revolution
means that it will be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve<span> </span>air superiority<span> </span>in
future conflicts. Drones, not manned airplanes, dominate the skies above the fighting in Ukraine. One suicide drone<span> </span>costs $30,000. You could purchase 16,000 of them for the cost of
one F-35A. “Which do you think creates more problems for air defense?”<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Today, the U.S. Air Force faces an almost-existential crisis. During the past several years, the service has been battered by the loss of its prestigious space mission to the nascent<span> </span><a href="https://www.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/About-Space-Force/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">U.S. Space Force</a>. It has also struggled to balance the continued acquisition of stunningly expensive new manned aircraft with the rapid developments in unmanned technologies, which are making pilots increasingly superfluous.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">What a difference a few years makes. In 2016, we published a column entitled “<a href="https://warontherocks.com/2016/05/the-catastrophic-success-of-the-u-s-air-force/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">The Catastrophic Success of the U.S. Air Force</a>,” which argued that the service had completely dominated the air domain for so long that it was not fully prepared to fight a bloody war for control of the skies. But those days are long gone, thanks to the drone revolution.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The biggest problem facing the Air Force is that masses of uncrewed drones have now wrested command of the air away from manned aircraft in the skies above the modern battlefield. The drone revolution means that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the service to achieve<span> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/1fw_cc/status/853310524632834048" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">air superiority</a><span> </span>in future conflicts — which has been the centerpiece of its mission for decades. Drones, not manned airplanes, now dominate the skies above ground forces fighting in Ukraine. The contested<span> </span><a href="https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss4/7/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;"><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">air littoral</em></a><span> </span>has emerged as a critical new subdomain of warfare. It stretches from the earth’s surface to several thousand feet, below the altitudes where most manned aircraft typically fly, and is now dominated by masses of drones. This is a paradigm shift of epic proportions, which will require the Air Force to fundamentally transform itself in a very short period of time.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">For<span> </span><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Documents/2013/July%202013/0713dominance.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">almost 70 years</a>, the U.S. Air Force maintained unbroken air superiority over every battlefield on which U.S. troops fought. Yet that long streak suddenly ended on Jan. 28, when three U.S. Army soldiers were killed by<span> </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/06/drone-jordan-attack/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">an air attack</a><span> </span>— conducted not by an enemy bomber or fighter strike, but by a one-way suicide drone that attacked a U.S. base in Jordan called Tower 22. Although these soldiers undoubtedly thought that U.S. air superiority would protect them from aerial attacks, subsequent reports indicated that the base had only<span> </span><a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/06/tower-22-drone-troops-air-defense/#:~:text=February%206%202024%2C%204%3A38%20p.m.&text=Tower%2022%2C%20the%20U.S.%20base,have%20served%20on%20the%20base." style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">limited defenses against drones</a>.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But why now? Drones have been around for decades, of course. Yet the war in Ukraine has dramatically accelerated the military use of drones in ways few of us could have predicted. Today, they<span> </span><a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/outgunned-ukraine-bets-on-drones-as-russian-invasion-enters-third-year/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">fill the skies above the battlefields<span> </span></a>in numbers that were simply unimaginable two years ago, conducting vital missions in surveillance, intelligence gathering, early warning, and precision strike. They are so crucial to Ukrainian operations that President Volodymyr Zelensky has called upon his country to<span> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-produce-one-million-drones-next-year-zelenskiy-says-2023-12-19/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">produce one million new drones</a><span> </span>in 2024, and he hopes to<span> </span><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2024/02/european-coalition-bids-to-deliver-1-million-drones-to-ukraine/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">receive another million drones</a><span> </span>from NATO allies and partners this year. Ukraine flies an<span> </span><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a40298287/drone-fighting-ukraine-war-russia/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_pop_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_18374722695&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA84CvBhCaARIsAMkAvkJ4LYIUltxEGs2_z46bgu44zvf8Te8f3wJhtDZa4X9ZSzxXZdmffUIaAjs1EALw_wcB" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">incredibly</a><span> </span><a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/post/23241" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">wide</a><span> </span><a href="https://ecfr.eu/article/drones-in-ukraine-and-beyond-everything-you-need-to-know/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">variety</a><span> </span>of drones — as many as<span> </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-needs-american-drones-russia-war-unmanned-aerial-systems-china-weapons-15498dae" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">10,000 different types</a>, according to one estimate. And they have to be expendable, since Ukraine reportedly<span> </span><a href="https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/special-resources/meatgrinder-russian-tactics-second-year-its-invasion-ukraine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">loses thousands of drones each month</a>.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The U.S. military is woefully unprepared for warfare in this newly contested subdomain of the air littoral. Needless to say, the<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-us-drone-fleet-2016-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">U.S. drone inventory</a><span> </span>looks nothing at all like Ukraine’s. It is a fraction of its size and scale, focusing on small numbers of<span> </span><a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47188" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">highly advanced systems</a>. (Even the Pentagon’s highly touted Replicator initiative aims to develop only “<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3604459/defense-officials-report-progress-on-replicator-initiative/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">thousands</a>” of attritable autonomous systems in the next two years — and right now, it is far from clear that the initiative will ultimately succeed.) But even more importantly, the U.S. military today does not possess<span> </span><a href="https://defensescoop.com/2024/02/02/experts-assess-military-tech-adapt-deadly-drone-attack-us-troops/#:~:text=America%27s%20air%20defense%20capabilities%20around,and%20interdiction%2C" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">reliable counter-drone systems</a><span> </span>that can<span> </span><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2024/01/after-deadly-drone-attack-in-jordan-us-central-command-reassessing-air-defense-needs/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">effectively</a><span> </span>protect U.S. forces against small drone attacks, much less the massed level of strikes seen daily in Ukraine. Technologies that protect against drones have<span> </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2023/10/18/the-challenges-of-counter-drone-technology-as-seen-in-recent-conflicts/?sh=6ddfef327013" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">failed to keep pace</a><span> </span>with the proliferation and rapidly evolving capabilities of offensive drones (reflecting a problem that we once called the U.S. military’s<span> </span><a href="https://warontherocks.com/2016/07/the-u-s-militarys-protection-deficit-disorder/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">protection deficit disorder</a>). As a result, U.S. ground forces have now essentially lost the protective top cover that the Air Force provided through air superiority for decades.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Countering drones in the air littoral is therefore one of the most pressing tasks facing the U.S. military, and all of the services will need to be part of the solution. Yet, as the principal service responsible for the air domain, the Air Force is arguably doing the<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">least</em><span> </span>to address this burgeoning threat. Why? Countering inexpensive drones that can pummel U.S. forces from the air at will simply does not fit into the service’s future vision. Moreover, defeating this new aerial threat would require the service to transform much of its doctrine and platforms. Yet the Air Force remains firmly wedded to exorbitantly expensive crewed platforms that reflect its 20th-century roots and legacy — especially the F-35A fighter.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The F-35A certainly remains an important platform for high-intensity conventional warfare. But the Air Force is planning to buy 1,763 of the aircraft, which will remain in service through the year 2070. These jets, which are wholly unsuited for countering proliferated low-cost enemy drones in the air littoral, present<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">enormous</em><span> </span>opportunity costs for the service as a whole. In a set of comments<span> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-murray-1507a055_deadly-cheap-and-widespread-how-iran-supplied-activity-7162108210366119938-VVMi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">posted on LinkedIn</a><span> </span>last month, defense analyst T.X. Hammes estimated the following. The delivered cost of a single F-35A is<span> </span><a href="https://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/Portals/84/documents/FY24/Procurement/FY24%20Air%20Force%20Aircraft%20Procurement%20Vol%20I.pdf?ver=NMExUp6ZOJkMDUTjzBwtbA%3d%3d#page=117" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">around</a><span> </span><a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106047.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">$130 million</a>, but buying<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">and</em><span> </span>operating that plane throughout its lifecycle will cost at least $460 million. He estimated that a single Chinese<span> </span><a href="https://asiatimes.com/2023/09/killer-sunflower-chinas-kamikaze-drone-has-arrived/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">Sunflower suicide drone</a><span> </span>costs about $30,000 — so you could purchase 16,000 Sunflowers for the cost of one F-35A. And since the full mission capable rate of the F-35A has hovered around<span> </span><a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105341.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">50 percent</a><span> </span>in recent years, you need two to ensure that all missions can be completed — for an opportunity cost of 32,000 Sunflowers. As Hammes concluded, “Which do you think creates more problems for air defense?”</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ironically, the first service to respond decisively to the new contestation of the air littoral has been the U.S. Army. Its soldiers are directly threatened by lethal drones, as the Tower 22 attack demonstrated all too clearly. Quite unexpectedly, last month the Army<span> </span><a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12592" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">cancelled its future reconnaissance helicopter</a><span> </span>— which has already cost the service $2 billion – because fielding a costly manned reconnaissance aircraft no longer makes sense. Today, the same mission can be performed by far less expensive drones — without putting any pilots at risk. The Army also decided to retire its aging<span> </span><a href="https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2024/02/shakeup-army-cancels-planned-fara-helo-will-retire-two-drones/394061/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">Shadow and Raven legacy drones</a>, whose declining survivability and capabilities have rendered them obsolete, and announced a new rapid buy of<span> </span><a href="https://www.army-technology.com/news/us-army-to-rapidly-acquire-600-counter-uas-coyote-drones-under-raa/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">600 Coyote counter-drone drones</a><span> </span>in order to help protect its troops. As Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George<span> </span><a href="https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2024/02/shakeup-army-cancels-planned-fara-helo-will-retire-two-drones/394061/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">noted</a>, “We are learning from the battlefield — especially Ukraine — that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed. … Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching, and more inexpensive than ever before.”</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Air Force needs to learn that air superiority has fundamentally changed as well. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall recently announced a major reorganization effort to<span> </span><a href="https://www.af.mil/reoptimization-for-great-power-competition/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">reoptimize the force for great power competition</a>, and has repeatedly warned that the Air Force is<span> </span><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2024/02/air-force-reorganization-frank-kendall-china/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">“out of time”</a><span> </span>to prepare for the growing threat from China. But that is simply not enough. It has<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">also</em><span> </span>run out of time in the air littoral, where it can no longer provide effective air superiority to protect American troops on the ground.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Vollkorn, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The breathtaking advance of drone warfare in ongoing conflicts is changing the meaning of air superiority and challenging traditional notions of airpower. In Ukraine, drones have largely displaced manned aircraft in the day-to-day fighting over the front lines, and they are actively contesting the brand-new subdomain of the air littoral. The U.S. Air Force has been slow to digest the epic changes in air warfare that these new rapidly expanding capabilities foretell. Facing similar disruptions to land warfare in the late 1990s, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki<span> </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/politics/11vets.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #ac2734; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline;">told</a><span> </span>his generals: “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” Today’s Air Force leadership would be wise to heed those candid words.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-78979132614998773632024-03-17T10:08:00.003-04:002024-03-17T10:08:20.455-04:00Russia's "Unprepared Reserves'" Post-Avdiivka Assaults Fail Vs Ukraine Defenses<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgyRiH_tqOaGoPxFgpzjoEB5jKqvKJ44ZlidSI7RtxlA3Q4aHswHcqxzYQjysRQmKLEmkJPY9cTis4G2Lt4dyZVLHrNgpNwWWwXgfi-WtCajNE8_BcxSFqoQa3n6ZBCdjsHHOeQe0vJxRbhbJ_gJBaNZZliEdxkSkiQXPIo2UTc1irU0hayZ0eW8X-18/s800/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="800" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgyRiH_tqOaGoPxFgpzjoEB5jKqvKJ44ZlidSI7RtxlA3Q4aHswHcqxzYQjysRQmKLEmkJPY9cTis4G2Lt4dyZVLHrNgpNwWWwXgfi-WtCajNE8_BcxSFqoQa3n6ZBCdjsHHOeQe0vJxRbhbJ_gJBaNZZliEdxkSkiQXPIo2UTc1irU0hayZ0eW8X-18/s320/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Russian losses at Avdiivka were so severe that some units attempting to continue attacking had to be withdrawn because they had lost operational effectiveness. The Russian command then attempted to use operational reserves, some of which were completely untrained. Mobile Ukrainian strike forces disrupted Russia's attempts at replacement and reinforcement. <br /><p></p><p>This gave Ukraine time to strengthen its defenses around Avdiivka so that when Russia resumed its assaults, its troops and their equipment were decimated. The implication is that Ukraine has degraded Russia's long term offensive capabilities, especially as it is reportedly having trouble replacing the soldiers it has lost with new recruits. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>The Euromaidan Press reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Russian forces "completely lost momentum," failing to cross the Durna River
before Ukrainians established cohesive defensive lines stabilizing the
front. This was unexpected because Ukraine's Durna defense line was considered weak. Mobile Ukraine strike forces conducted raids to disrupt the
Russians. That Kremlin forces had
to switch from offense to defense led to a slowdown in Russian attacks. Russian forces had to deploy unprepared reserves. As revealed by captured documents, some Russians sent to attack were mobilized just eight days
prior to the assault. That some deployed units were in the midst of reconstitution means Ukraine is undermining long-term Russian offensive
capabilities. <a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Today, there are a lot of important updates from the Avdiivka direction in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261904" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="wlzli28jf" id="attachment_261904" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1635916491" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-13.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261904 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-13.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261904" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Here, the most intense clashes are taking place right in front of Avdiivka, and the further Russians have gone, the harder it became for them to gain ground. In fact, the moment the Russians reached the Durna River, Russian forces completely lost momentum, giving Ukrainians a perfect opportunity to retake the initiative.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261906" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="a5btvsb7o" id="attachment_261906" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="689742853" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-12.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261906 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-12.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261906" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p data-injected="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">This is somewhat unexpected because both Ukrainian and Russian analysts speculated that the Ukrainian defense line along the Durna River is underdeveloped and too weak to receive oncoming Russian offensive operations.</p><div data-ad-tagid="m4Gox9jCXrMCJQa78DBW" data-zid="2075" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p></p><div class="code-block code-block-17" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 8px auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div data-google-query-id="CPTWj6e2-4QDFZPUKAUduLcANA" id="admixer-hb-1139-638338378248735625" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/29636627,22974595675/euromaidanpress.com_728x280_hb_6_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div><div id="admixer-hb-1139-638338378852648926" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Nonetheless, the Institute for the Study of War assessed that Russian forces failed to seize the opportunity and cross the river before Ukrainians could establish more cohesive and harder-to-penetrate defensive lines. As a result, Ukrainians gradually stabilized the frontline, consolidated control over the new defensive positions, and unlocked the possibility of conducting counterattacks.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian sources reported that the Ukrainian Command decided to deploy reinforcements into the region and claimed that these mobile independent strike forces conduct rapid raids to dislodge Russians from newly captured positions. The fact that Russian forces had to switch from a purely offensive stance to a semi-defensive lead to a significant slowdown in the pace of the Russian operations.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">What complicated the Russian advancements even more was the local geography, especially in the central part of the region. The geography of the region reduced the versatility of attack vectors and forced Russians to operate within very narrow pathways between the rivers.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261908" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="fq2ospm2a" id="attachment_261908" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="944011823" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-11.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261908 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-11.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261908" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p data-injected="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Moreover, to assault Ukrainian positions along the river, Russians were forced to overextend themselves by having to move through the vast fields.</p><div data-ad-tagid="m4Gox9jCXrMCJQa78DBW" data-zid="2075" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainian fighters from the Third Assault Brigade released combat footage showing Ukrainians detecting and destroying Russian assault units with cluster munitions en route. Since very few assault units managed to get to the Ukrainian positions intact, the intensity of the Russian attacks naturally decreased.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261910" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="9f9psrymo" id="attachment_261910" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1969197030" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-10.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261910 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-10.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261910" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The rapidly changing dynamics forced Russians to adjust their tactics if they wanted to continue moving forward. The first thing that Russians did was shift their focus to the northern part of the defense line.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261912" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="89xjig6i8" id="attachment_261912" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1858519392" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-09.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261912 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-09.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261912" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Here, Russian forces did not have the limitations in the form of the rivers and gullies, which gave them more room for maneuver. What is more, by breaching the Ukrainian defense in Berdychi, Russians would be able to attack Ukrainians from two sides and slice of the Ukrainian defense much more easily.</p><p data-injected="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The second thing Russians did was adapt to Ukrainian counterattacks by deploying basically suicide units. These units would try to penetrate the Ukrainian defense as deep as possible, entrench themselves, and hold an all-round defense to draw Ukrainian troops, buying Russians in the back some time to consolidate control over the grey zone. These units were usually too far from the rest, with no prospects of receiving supplies or reinforcements.</p><div data-ad-tagid="m4Gox9jCXrMCJQa78DBW" data-zid="2075" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p></p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261916" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="sy1zqqd2d" id="attachment_261916" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="2053885905" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-07.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261916 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-07.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261916" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In order to get so far behind the contact line, Russians deployed multiple armored fighting vehicles that rushed at full speed towards the settlement. As you can see, most of these vehicles did not manage to get too far and were immobilized or destroyed by the artillery.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261918" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="hhi6oa1i2" id="attachment_261918" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1660726954" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-06.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261918 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-06.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261918" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Russian armored vehicle stuck in a crater near Berdychi, Avdiivka area, Donetsk Oblast. Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other footage revealed the consequences of one of such assaults for the Russian infantry, showing dozens of corpses scattered across the field.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261920" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="dwmny6rod" id="attachment_261920" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1629687982" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-05.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261920 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-05.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261920" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The freshest reports from this region indicate that in order to avoid losing the initiative to Ukrainian counterattacks completely, Russian forces started deploying their valuable operational reserves. The commitment of the operational reserves to sustain the movement towards the tactical-level objectives means only one thing – the Russian detachments that lost their combat capability due to losses are sent to the front line without being fully reconstituted with fresh troops, reducing the overall quality of the striking groups.</p><p data-injected="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">This has already resulted in a series of disastrous assaults. Ukrainian fighters from the 47th Mechanized Brigade released a video showing how Russians attempted to enter Berdychi from the south. As revealed later by the documents, some of the soldiers that were sent into this suicidal attack were officially mobilized just eight days prior to this assault.</p><div data-ad-tagid="m4Gox9jCXrMCJQa78DBW" data-zid="2075" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The assault unit consisted of three armored fighting vehicles and around forty troops. The first vehicle was hit by Ukrainian artillery already in the fields.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261922" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="n4u6bu2ks" id="attachment_261922" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="87210318" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-04.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261922 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-04.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261922" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The second vehicle suffered the same fate on the approach to the village.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261924" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="khmu387dq" id="attachment_261924" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="138458139" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-03.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261924 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-03.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261924" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One vehicle managed to get Russian troops to the outskirts, where Russians immediately tried to assume positions in as many buildings as possible.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261926" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="27cgfetca" id="attachment_261926" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="662062774" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-02.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261926 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-02.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261926" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p data-injected="true" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Unfortunately for Russians, Ukrainians sent a Bradley into the region the moment the Russian assault was detected.</p><div data-ad-tagid="m4Gox9jCXrMCJQa78DBW" data-zid="2075" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainians arrived on time and opened fire from the machine gun while Russian troops were still dismounting. As a result, the whole Russian assault unit was completely liquidated.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Overall, Russians underestimated the level of preparedness of the Ukrainian defense line in front of Avdiivka.</p><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261928" class="wp-caption aligncenter pk-lightbox-container pk-pin-it-container" data-pk-uuid="6m6wwrxkb" id="attachment_261928" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; display: block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 900px; word-spacing: 0px;"><a class="pk-image-popup pk-zoom-icon-popup" data-slb-active="1" data-slb-asset="1007887904" data-slb-group="261738" data-slb-internal="0" href="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-01.jpg" style="--pk-zoom-icon-popup-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --pk-zoom-icon-popup-color: white; --pk-zoom-icon-popup-font-size: 16px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-styled-heading) !important; display: block; font-weight: 600 !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-261928 pk-pin-it-ready" height="496" src="https://euromaidanpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/reporting-from-ukraine-video-avdiivka-berdychi-01.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="900" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-261928" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--cs-color-secondary); display: block; font-family: var(--cs-font-secondary-family),sans-serif; font-size: var(--cs-font-secondary-size); font-style: var(--cs-font-secondary-style); font-weight: var(--cs-font-secondary-weight); letter-spacing: var(--cs-font-secondary-letter-spacing); margin: 1rem 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: var(--cs-font-secondary-text-transform);">Screenshot from a Reporting From Ukraine video.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainian forces managed to put the Russian advancement to a halt and even ramp up the number of counterattacks in the region to the point where the Russian command was forced to deploy operational reserves.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 32px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The fact that the deployed detachments were in the middle of reconstitution means that Ukrainians are undermining the long-term Russian offensive capabilities, which should lead to even greater stabilization of the front line.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-23039970154528740742024-03-17T09:31:00.004-04:002024-03-17T09:31:52.428-04:00Ukraine Attacks Damage Dozen Russian Oil Refineries, 12 Percent of Its Capacity<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCEU7bnQ6SmtlU0QdZnKbqTM45MCWXL0c8htkTSRwtQiUPaR1NARQTPkJg79REvyvWt4Gi3IQ4QPCHr882wBgfNV5TbwHO_vGr11bgAlnHOGBOzNt1opU73LDBxR45308mMN8uc273DJflcBoJybhWLplV1vVXQAuxSCcTONZker48txHemsd04IYvwQ/s299/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCEU7bnQ6SmtlU0QdZnKbqTM45MCWXL0c8htkTSRwtQiUPaR1NARQTPkJg79REvyvWt4Gi3IQ4QPCHr882wBgfNV5TbwHO_vGr11bgAlnHOGBOzNt1opU73LDBxR45308mMN8uc273DJflcBoJybhWLplV1vVXQAuxSCcTONZker48txHemsd04IYvwQ/w320-h180/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Given Russia's dependence on oil exports, eliminating or even damaging 12% of refinery capacity could have a significant effect on Russia's ability to supply its own population and military as well as deny it much needed export oil revenue. JL<br /><p></p><p><i>The Kyiv Independent reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>In the past few weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Ukraine (SBU) drones successfully attacked 12 oil
refineries in Russia, including an
overnight attack on March 17 of an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in
Krasnodar Krai. Ukraine has<span> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: none 0s ease 0s;">hit oil refineries</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span></span></strong></span><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span> </span></strong>in Samara, Ryazan, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, and Leningrad oblasts. The targeted facilities account for about 12% of Russia's oil-processing capacity.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones have recently successfully attacked 12 oil refineries in Russia, a source told Ukrainska Pravda, including an overnight attack on March 17 of an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Krasnodar Krai.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The SBU carried out the most recent attack together with Special Operations Forces and the Unmanned Systems Forces,<span> </span><a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/17/7446848/" rel="nofollow" style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b3cea; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s;" target="_blank">according to the source</a>.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Residents of Slavyansk-on-Kuban reported hearing explosions in the town and said that a local factory was on fire, according to the Russian Telegram news channel Baza.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">At least one refinery worker was killed, Baza and Russian news outlets<span> </span><a href="https://nv.ua/ukr/world/countries/ataki-droniv-v-rf-v-krasnodarskomu-kraji-17-bereznya-vinikla-pozhezha-na-zavodi-novini-rosiji-50401816.html" rel="nofollow" style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b3cea; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;">claimed</strong></strong></a>.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian media reported that the fire was most likely caused by a Ukrainian drone strike. Locals told the news channel Ostorozhno that a group of over five drones hit the facility.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the past weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Ukraine has<span> </span><a href="https://kyivindependent.com/fire-reported-at-russias-syzran-oil-refinery/" rel="dofollow" style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b3cea; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;">hit oil refineries</strong></strong></a><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span> </span></strong>in Samara, Ryazan, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, and Leningrad oblasts.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #252324; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The targeted facilities account for about 12% of Russia's oil-processing capacity, Bloomberg<span> </span><a href="https://kyivindependent.com/bloomberg-ukraines-recent-drone-strikes-hit-facilities-representing-12-of-russias-oil-processing-capacity/" rel="dofollow" style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b3cea; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: none 0s ease 0s;" target="_blank"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;">reported</strong></strong></strong></a><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><strong style="animation: auto ease 0s 1 normal none running none; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><span> </span></strong></strong></strong>on March 14.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-86276320866294839742024-03-17T09:21:00.003-04:002024-03-17T09:21:51.043-04:007,600 Russian Cars Flee Belgorod, Kursk Regions As Ukraine Presses Attack<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEqD9wZhiycb88XUz-hy64rQcqknrrKngNu3DXhAePGSMuvGCkN4UveOj4XeoM9OLMAf6xXLpfmv5JCi5I2EISMT_bVrgucKH3mMQBSZKftKLramQ3vnvBFCE4aLl6z-ZH1JrLjBktfBhdA_u-Z643aCI2LSCUJdf9ensIM_vme66Szy8rTkQ3EFIlFA/s700/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="700" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEqD9wZhiycb88XUz-hy64rQcqknrrKngNu3DXhAePGSMuvGCkN4UveOj4XeoM9OLMAf6xXLpfmv5JCi5I2EISMT_bVrgucKH3mMQBSZKftKLramQ3vnvBFCE4aLl6z-ZH1JrLjBktfBhdA_u-Z643aCI2LSCUJdf9ensIM_vme66Szy8rTkQ3EFIlFA/s320/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>The anti-Putin Russian units attacking across the border are now in their fourth day of the assault, with no signs that Russian forces have had any success in driving them back. <p></p><p>The attacking Ukrainian allies created a humanitarian corridor over two nights and almost 8,000 Russian civilians took advantage of it to flee the affected regions. JL <i> </i></p><p><i>Iryna Balachuk reports in Ukraine Pravda</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Residents of Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, in which it is
currently conducting combat operations, have begun to evacuate from
dangerous areas, with a total of 7,600 vehicles leaving these regions
overnight. Anti-Putin Russian soldiers fighting on Russian territory
called on residents of Kursk and Belgorod oblasts to evacuate. A humanitarian
corridor for evacuation was open from 21:00
on 14 March to 7:00 on 15 March. "Anyone unable to use the humanitarian corridor in the
area of military operation is advised to find safe
shelter."<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Freedom of Russia Legion has stated that residents of Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, in which it is currently conducting combat operations, have begun to evacuate from dangerous areas, with a total of 7,600 vehicles leaving these regions overnight.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source</strong>: The Freedom of Russia Legion on<span> </span><a href="https://t.me/legionoffreedom/1141" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border-bottom: none; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(199, 127, 144) 0px -2px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Telegram</a></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Quote</strong>: "Since the announcement of the humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians from Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, as of 07:00 Moscow time, more than 7,000 civilian cars belonging to residents of Belgorod city and Belgorod Oblast as a whole have used it... Also, more than 600 additional civilian vehicles evacuated the city of Kursk via the corridor..."</p><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></center><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Details</strong>: The information was reportedly provided by "local residents, law enforcement and security officials who oppose the Putin regime."</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Earlier, Russian volunteer soldiers who decided to fight on Russian territory called on residents of Kursk and Belgorod oblasts to urgently evacuate due to a "special military operation on the territory of the aforementioned oblasts." To this end, they announced that a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of the population would be open from 21:00 on 14 March to 7:00 on 15 March.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"After the expiration of the humanitarian corridor, the destruction of military facilities in Belgorod and Kursk oblasts will continue until the region is completely liberated from the Putin regime's troops," the volunteer soldiers stated.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">On 15 March, residents of these oblasts were urged to remain indoors "due to the intensification of hostilities in Russia" and later to leave the border regions until "the active phase of the limited military operation is completed." It is reported that the new humanitarian corridor will also operate overnight – from 21:00 on 15 March to 7:00 Moscow time on 16 March.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Anyone who is unable to use the humanitarian corridor and leave the area of the limited military operation in time is advised to find a safe shelter, refrain from walking outside, avoid crowds of people and vehicles, and stay at home or in safe places if possible," the volunteer soldiers said.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Update:<span> </span></strong>At 12:33, they announced new strikes on military targets in Belgorod.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Urgent warning for residents of Belgorod! Within the next hour, there will be mass strikes upon military targets in the city of Belgorod. We urge residents to immediately seek shelter in secure locations and refrain from going outside until the attack is over," the message reads.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Background</strong>:</p><ul style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; list-style: none; margin-block: 0px 1em; margin-inline: 0px; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding-inline-start: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><li aria-level="1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">On the morning of 14 March, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, said that Russian air defence assets and personnel had shot down eight aerial targets over the city of Belgorod and the surrounding district of the same name. At the same time, Russian Telegram news outlets reported an alleged attempt by a "Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group" to enter the territory of the oblast, but Russian volunteer soldiers who are fighting on Ukraine's side said that it was them attacking<span> </span><a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/14/7446398/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border-bottom: none; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(199, 127, 144) 0px -2px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">military targets in Russia</a>. They explained that they were forced to open fire because Russia continues to hit peaceful settlements in Ukraine.</li><li aria-level="1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Immediately afterwards, Denis Nikitin, the leader and founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), stated that<span> </span><a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/14/7446400/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border-bottom: none; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(199, 127, 144) 0px -2px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">anti-regime Russian military volunteers would open fire on military targets</a><span> </span>in Belgorod and Kursk oblasts within 1.5 hours.</li><li aria-level="1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Later, the Freedom of Russia Legion posted a video featuring burning buildings and reported that<span> </span><a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/14/7446430/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border-bottom: none; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(199, 127, 144) 0px -2px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">they had destroyed two Russian army ammunition storage points</a><span> </span>in the village of Tyotkino, in Russia's Kursk Oblast. At the same time, the governor of Kursk Oblast said that "Ukrainian terrorists" were supposedly breaking into the oblast, while Rosgvardia claimed that it was "repelling an attack by Ukrainian saboteurs".</li></ul></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-65555528925440110042024-03-16T14:32:00.003-04:002024-03-16T14:32:56.030-04:00Russian Border Regions Close Schools, Malls Due To Ukraine Cross-Border Attacks<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik37ymhmrfsgmWRDyS_OZAi7qtkpv4tfr2DU4_LBd3KZyMfI0z5quzHZ-6bMCXTGixab_db0bfw9HmFlV4g7rovOqKwFwrz588X6CYcm4BuZ4h0XUr36YBXnDpPRgk8HAFXC6fECG7XPDzAqbVwbXitnEaUaFcuNkElPdSwaL-hD8kkv03-iR8xEAl0Q8/s700/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik37ymhmrfsgmWRDyS_OZAi7qtkpv4tfr2DU4_LBd3KZyMfI0z5quzHZ-6bMCXTGixab_db0bfw9HmFlV4g7rovOqKwFwrz588X6CYcm4BuZ4h0XUr36YBXnDpPRgk8HAFXC6fECG7XPDzAqbVwbXitnEaUaFcuNkElPdSwaL-hD8kkv03-iR8xEAl0Q8/s320/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Russian forces appear incapable of ousting anti-Putin Russian troops who crossed into Russian territory earlier this week and show no signs of leaving. <p></p><p>In addition to capturing a platoon or more of Russian soldiers who surrendered, the Ukrainian allies have now forced Russian authorities to close all schools and shopping malls in the affected regions as fighting escalates. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Andrew Carey and Maria Kostenko report in CNN</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>All schools and colleges in parts of the<span> </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/14/europe/ukraine-russia-belgorod-drone-strikes-shelling-intl/index.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-color); font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-paragraph__font-size--from-small); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); text-decoration-color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-color); text-decoration-line: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration); text-decoration-skip-ink: var(--theme-underline-skip-ink); text-decoration-thickness: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-thickness); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-underline-offset: var(--theme-paragraph__hover-link-offset);">Russian region of Belgorod</a><span> </span>will
be closed on Monday and Tuesday following an increase in Ukrainian
attacks on the territory, the region’s governor announced. Schools and colleges in the affected districts have effectively been closed from Tuesday evening last week. Shopping malls will also be closed Sunday and Monday.Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters on Tuesday mounted a cross-border
attack in Belgorod while Belgorod city suffered heavy drone strikes and
shelling. The attacks have brought the war in Ukraine to
Russians largely isolated from the conflict. <br /><a name='more'></a>All schools and colleges in parts of the<span> </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/14/europe/ukraine-russia-belgorod-drone-strikes-shelling-intl/index.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-color); font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-paragraph__font-size--from-small); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); text-decoration-color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-color); text-decoration-line: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration); text-decoration-skip-ink: var(--theme-underline-skip-ink); text-decoration-thickness: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-thickness); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-underline-offset: var(--theme-paragraph__hover-link-offset);">Russian region of Belgorod</a><span> </span>will be closed on Monday and Tuesday following an increase in Ukrainian attacks on the territory, the region’s governor has announced.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>Shopping malls will also be closed Sunday and Monday, Vyacheslav Gladkov added in a statement on Telegram. The affected districts lie alongside the border with Ukraine. The city of Belgorod itself is also subject to the closures.The frequent attacks have brought the war in Ukraine to Russians largely isolated from the conflict.<div class="teads-player native" id="teads0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: flex !important; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center !important; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 16px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“The situation is quite difficult both in the city and in Belgorod district. Naturally, the issue of safety is the most important for all of us,” Gladkov wrote. “It is clear that teachers, nannies and technical staff are all worried,” he said.</div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-player native" id="teads0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: flex !important; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center !important; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 16px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Schools and colleges in the affected districts have effectively been closed from Tuesday evening last week, when Gladkov announced students would undertake what he called “days of self-learning” through Friday. At the time of the announcement he said he hoped schools would be able to resume normal activities on Monday. </div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-player native" id="teads0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: flex !important; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center !important; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 16px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine has been attacking the Belgorod region off and on since the first half of 2023 but scaled up shelling and strikes most about a week ago.As in other parts of Russia, people in Belgorod are voting in a poll widely expected to see Vladimir Putin returned to power as president. </div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-player native" id="teads0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: flex !important; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center !important; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 16px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Voting continued for a second day on Saturday,<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/europe/russia-elections-protests-dye-intl/index.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-color); font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-paragraph__font-size--from-small); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); text-decoration-color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-color); text-decoration-line: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration); text-decoration-skip-ink: var(--theme-underline-skip-ink); text-decoration-thickness: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-thickness); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-underline-offset: var(--theme-paragraph__hover-link-offset);">with authorities having arrested several Russians</a><span> </span>for carrying out acts of civil disobedience. </div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-player native" id="teads0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: flex !important; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center !important; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 16px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">On Saturday, Gladkov also said two people were killed in early morning attacks, including a truck driver whose vehicle was hit by a shell.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div aria-hidden="false" aria-labelledby="bx-campaign-ally-title-1913792" class="bxc bx-base bx-custom bx-active-step-1 bx-campaign-1913792 bx-brand-33627 bx-width-default bx-type-agilityzone bx-has-close-x-1 bx-has-close-inside bx-fx-fade bx-impress" id="bx-campaign-1913792" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: black; 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-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a post on its own Telegram channel Saturday that Russian forces had repelled attempts by Ukraine fighters to infiltrate Russia in several locations, saying it had carried out “a complex fire attack on concentrations of enemy manpower and equipment.”</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltud5ey400003b6h1o8w8r5b@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Also on Saturday, a Ukrainian source told CNN that Ukraine’s security service (SBU) carried out drone strikes on three oil refineries in Russia’s Samara region.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltud5mxw00023b6hetx5ewj8@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The three refineries – which all belong to the Rosneft oil company – are sited along the Volga River at Novokuibyshevsk, Samara, and Syzran, and are located up to 1,000 kms from Ukrainian-held territory.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltu5xdat000c3b6h0puzh0oa@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Local residents in Belgorod have been posting videos to regional social media platforms showing explosions in the city and fires burning outside residential buildings where Ukrainian strikes have taken place.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltu5xdat000d3b6hatf21ooo@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In one video a woman is heard telling her mother she is scared to leave her apartment.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltu9a1so000d3b6htxx81kdt@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Earlier in the week Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters on Tuesday mounted a cross-border attack in Belgorod while Belgorod city suffered heavy drone strikes and shelling.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltu9ace9000f3b6hkhl7035k@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">At least five people have been reported killed in the last week, according to a CNN count, and several dozen wounded.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-34873685713289449512024-03-16T11:03:00.004-04:002024-03-16T11:03:23.258-04:00After Sinking One-Third Of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Ukraine Building Its Own<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8HIFDp_ENg0Hx0Rq4AwWF4sxdrMvwwYKBSnoIJmlr9GgcGQloUEUf6zYG_gfrJFUj45s39FI_qNaVbyHJfM2bmweCLNMYstseAeVeiaoT0CSwFS3IXxdCQEWJ7sdiT0DR7Zgaq7ET07AfaJSLq3mLj3r4BVtrTKRF29fiObmhglWQZQ0VLyfz_o10jo/s2048/Image%20-%20buy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="2048" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8HIFDp_ENg0Hx0Rq4AwWF4sxdrMvwwYKBSnoIJmlr9GgcGQloUEUf6zYG_gfrJFUj45s39FI_qNaVbyHJfM2bmweCLNMYstseAeVeiaoT0CSwFS3IXxdCQEWJ7sdiT0DR7Zgaq7ET07AfaJSLq3mLj3r4BVtrTKRF29fiObmhglWQZQ0VLyfz_o10jo/s320/Image%20-%20buy.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>For a country without a navy, Ukraine has sunk an impressive number of Russian ships. <p></p><p>Now it is beginning to build its own surface fleet, designed both to protect its coasts and to harass an enemy like Russia by targeting submarines, aircraft and other ships. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Rostyslav Khotin reports in RFE/RL</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>A two-ship deal between the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Turkish engineering firm STM was inked in 2020 and cost Kyiv <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">$256 million</span>. The corvettes belong to the Turkish-designed<span> </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ada-class</span>,
which feature stealth technology making them difficult to
detect. The ships are fitted with anti-ship and anti-submarine
weaponry: helicopters, hydroacoustics, and electronic detection systems that can classify underwater noises. The vessels will be equipped with the American Harpoon anti-ship system as
well as anti-aircraft missiles, mounted artillery, large-caliber machine
guns and torpedo tubes. Britain also pledged two minesweeping ships to Ukraine<a name='more'></a><br /><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">In Turkey, a vessel built for the Ukrainian Navy was completed and launched in Istanbul in October 2022. The ship's crew has been enlisted and the ship, named the Hetman Ivan Mazepa, is undergoing sea tests. Hetman was a title for Ukrainian Cossack military commanders, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">On a visit to an Istanbul shipyard on March 8, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy was given a tour of a second warship being built in Turkey under contract from Kyiv. During the visit, Zelenskiy named the incomplete vessel the Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky after a 17th-century commander who fought to keep Ukraine out of Moscow's orbit.</p></div><div class="fa-container fa-container--jumbo" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1024px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: calc(100% - 12px); word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="wsw__embed wsw__embed--jumbo" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px;"><figure class="media-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="img-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="thumb" style="box-sizing: inherit; contain: content; display: block; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy stands in front of a second corvette being constructed in Istanbul on March 8." class=" enhanced" src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-2133-08dc44f50b5a_w2557_r0_s_d3.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 1000px;" /></div></div><figcaption style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;"><span class="caption" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #48616d; display: block; font-size: 15.75px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px;">Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy stands in front of a second corvette being constructed in Istanbul on March 8.</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">The corvettes belong to the Turkish-designed<span> </span><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;"><a class="wsw__a" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada-class_corvette" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 216, 222); box-sizing: inherit; color: #fa5420; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;">Ada-class</a></strong>, which feature stealth technology making them relatively difficult to detect. The ships can be fitted with anti-ship and anti-submarine weaponry. The two-ship deal between the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Turkish engineering firm STM was inked in 2020 and cost Kyiv<span> </span><a class="wsw__a" href="https://defence-blog.com/turkiye-launched-first-ada-class-corvette-for-ukrainian-navy/" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 216, 222); box-sizing: inherit; color: #fa5420; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;">a reported $256 million</strong></a>.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">"This type of corvette is anti-submarine; this is their main specialization," Volodymyr Zablotskiy, a naval expert at the Defense Express, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">"They have helicopters, hydroacoustics, and electronic detection systems that can classify underwater noises. It's a ship that knows where a submarine is and how to attack it," the expert added.</p></div><div class="fa-container fa-container--jumbo" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1024px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: calc(100% - 12px); word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="wsw__embed wsw__embed--jumbo" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px;"><figure class="media-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="img-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="thumb" style="box-sizing: inherit; contain: content; display: block; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="The crew of the Hetman Ivan Mazepa in Istanbul on March 8" class=" enhanced" src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-aaef-08dc44f5043c_w2557_r0_s_d3.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 1000px;" /></div></div><figcaption style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;"><span class="caption" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #48616d; display: block; font-size: 15.75px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px;">The crew of the Hetman Ivan Mazepa in Istanbul on March 8</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">The ships are around 100 meters long and nearly 15 meters wide. Both vessels will be equipped with the American Harpoon anti-ship system as well as anti-aircraft missiles, mounted artillery, large-caliber machine guns and torpedo tubes.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">But many wonder whether the highly armed ships will serve any role in the current conflict with Russia or even be able to reach the war zone. It is not clear whether the two corvettes would be free to pass through the Bosphorus.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">Turkey is bound to close the strategic waterway to ships of warring parties during conflict in accordance with the Montreux Convention of 1936, an agreement that regulates the passage of ships through the strategic strait.</p></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="wsw__embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px;"><figure class="media-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="img-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="thumb" style="box-sizing: inherit; contain: content; display: block; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Detail of a jacket worn by a crew member of the Ivan Mazepa" class=" enhanced" src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0882-08dc44f5043a_w1625_r0_s_d3.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 676px;" /></div></div><figcaption style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;"><span class="caption" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #48616d; display: block; font-size: 15.75px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px;">Detail of a jacket worn by a crew member of the Ivan Mazepa</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">It is possible Ukraine could argue to have the ships released, since departing from Istanbul is not explicitly a journey of transit through the Bosphorus. But even if the ships would be permitted to depart to Ukrainian waters with the war ongoing, analysts say they are likely to be immediately targeted by Russia.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">"I hope the war will be over before these corvettes are commissioned," said Oleg Chubuk, a former spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy. "The Russians will be waiting for them, and they would hunt them from the moment they set off on the crossing [to Ukrainian waters]."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">Zablotskiy agrees, pointing out they would be a high-value target for Russia within Ukrainian waters.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">"It's better to let them stand there for the time being, in Turkey," he said.</p></div><div class="fa-container fa-container--jumbo" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1024px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: calc(100% - 12px); word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="wsw__embed wsw__embed--jumbo" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px;"><figure class="media-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="img-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="thumb" style="box-sizing: inherit; contain: content; display: block; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Ukrainian corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the day of its launch in Istanbul in October 2022" class=" enhanced" src="https://gdb.rferl.org/C5F79A53-F36B-410C-8F8A-AD6A901FBF4D_w2557_r0_s_d3.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 1000px;" /></div></div><figcaption style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;"><span class="caption" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #48616d; display: block; font-size: 15.75px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px;">Ukrainian corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the day of its launch in Istanbul in October 2022</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">In December 2023, the United Kingdom and Norway announced they would lead<span> </span><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;"><a class="wsw__a" href="https://armyinform.com.ua/2023/12/11/brytaniya-ta-norvegiya-stvoryly-morsku-koalicziyu-dlya-dopomogy-ukrayini/" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 216, 222); box-sizing: inherit; color: #fa5420; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">a new coalition</a></strong><span> </span>of naval forces that would provide long-term support to Ukraine, including training, equipment, and infrastructure to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses in the Black Sea.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">Britain also pledged two minesweeping ships to Ukraine, but the vessels have not yet arrived due to the prohibition of passage through the Bosphorus for warships of warring parties.</p></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="wsw__embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px;"><figure class="media-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="img-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="thumb" style="box-sizing: inherit; contain: content; display: block; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="A portion of the hull of the Volodymyr the Great while under construction in Mykolayiv in 2012" class=" enhanced" src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-4d58-08dc44f88703_w1625_r0_s_d3.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 676px;" /></div></div><figcaption style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;"><span class="caption" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #48616d; display: block; font-size: 15.75px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px;">A portion of the hull of the Volodymyr the Great while under construction in Mykolayiv in 2012</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="fa-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a3948; font-family: Skolar-Light-Latin, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; padding: 0px 12px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 700px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">Ukraine's own major ship-building industry has been effectively on ice since the February 2022 Russian full-scale invasion when the country’s navy suffered huge losses, including the scuttling of the country’s flagship, the Hetman Sahaidachny, at Mykolayiv to prevent the frigate falling into Russian hands.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; padding: 0px;">Currently, the construction of Ukraine's light frigate Volodymyr the Great is suspended in Mykolayiv with the southern port city frequently being targeted for Russian strikes. If that ship is completed, it is likely to become the new flagship of the Ukrainian Navy.</p></div></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-34604852708287317342024-03-16T10:35:00.006-04:002024-03-16T10:36:28.659-04:00How AI Is Moving Into Physical World To Better Manage Production, Distribution etc<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDcqZueUnMv8GL87m0kS2O5Pf_-bC4jrzTFY7Pp4214wWCp9fO5jz6k0qmHeQTPHwubITDc8f2MBwuN7BsCG8K1U9wsdFErknhi1qQiF8iHv7ebks_jRwnTEJRNG-9HhoK_kvowwJjpcdeeBkMWj2UAGYKuwbrBbJmvBN_xV16L6g0ntkdNdTNrNBCb8/s2048/Image%20-%20tech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDcqZueUnMv8GL87m0kS2O5Pf_-bC4jrzTFY7Pp4214wWCp9fO5jz6k0qmHeQTPHwubITDc8f2MBwuN7BsCG8K1U9wsdFErknhi1qQiF8iHv7ebks_jRwnTEJRNG-9HhoK_kvowwJjpcdeeBkMWj2UAGYKuwbrBbJmvBN_xV16L6g0ntkdNdTNrNBCb8/s320/Image%20-%20tech.jpg" width="256" /></a></i></div>Not only will technology power machines, but determine what they should do next. JL<i> </i><p></p><p><i>Cade Metz reports in the New York Times</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>The AI systems that drive online chatbots and image
generators will also power machines in warehouses, on roadways and in
homes. A robotics company is creating ways for robots to pick up, move and sort items
shuttled through warehouses and distribution centers. Its goal is to
help robots gain an understanding of what is going on around them and
decide what they should do next. By analyzing both a collection of photos and the captions that describe
those photos a system can grasp the relationships between
the two. This means robots will become more nimble by learning from digital data and begin to handle the
unexpected.<a name='more'></a><br /><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Companies like OpenAI and Midjourney build<span> </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/technology/ai-chat-bot-chatgpt.html" style="border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">chatbots</a>,<span> </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/technology/openai-images-dall-e.html" style="border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">image generators</a><span> </span>and other artificial intelligence tools that operate in the digital world.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Now, a start-up founded by three former OpenAI researchers is using the technology development methods behind chatbots to build A.I. technology that can navigate the physical world.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Covariant,<span> </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/warehouse-robot.html" style="border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">a robotics company headquartered in Emeryville, Calif</a>., is creating ways for robots to pick up, move and sort items as they are shuttled through warehouses and distribution centers. Its goal is to help robots gain an understanding of what is going on around them and decide what they should do next.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The technology also gives robots a broad understanding of the English language, letting people chat with them as if they were chatting with ChatGPT. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The technology, still under development, is not perfect. But it is a clear sign that the artificial intelligence systems that drive online chatbots and image generators will also power machines in warehouses, on roadways and in homes.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Like chatbots and image generators, this robotics technology learns its skills by analyzing enormous amounts of digital data. That means engineers can improve the technology by feeding it more and more data.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Covariant, backed by $222 million in funding, does not build robots. It builds the software that powers robots. The company aims to deploy its new technology with warehouse robots, providing a road map for others to do much the same in manufacturing plants and perhaps even on roadways with driverless cars. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">By pinpointing patterns in vast amounts of data, these systems can learn to recognize words, sounds and images — or even generate them on their own. This is how OpenAI built ChatGPT, giving it the power to instantly answer questions, write term papers and generate computer programs. It learned these skills from text culled from across the internet. (Several media outlets, including The New York Times, have sued OpenAI for copyright infringement.) </span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Companies are now building systems that can learn from different kinds of data at the same time. By analyzing both a collection of photos and the captions that describe those photos, for example, a system can grasp the relationships between the two. It can learn that the word “banana” describes a curved yellow fruit.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">OpenAI employed that system to build<span> </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/technology/openai-sora-videos.html" style="border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">Sora</a>, its new video generator. By analyzing thousands of captioned videos, the system learned to generate videos when given a short description of a scene, like “a gorgeously rendered papercraft world of a coral reef, rife with colorful fish and sea creatures.” <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Covariant, founded by Pieter Abbeel, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and three of his former students, Peter Chen, Rocky Duan and Tianhao Zhang, used similar techniques in building a system that drives warehouse robots.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">The company helps<span> </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/warehouse-robot.html" style="border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">operate sorting robots in warehouses across the globe</a>. It has spent years gathering data — from cameras and other sensors — that shows how these robots operate.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“It ingests all kinds of data that matter to robots — that can help them understand the physical world and interact with it,” Dr. Chen said. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">After identifying patterns in this stew of images, sensory data and text, the technology gives a robot the power to handle unexpected situations in the physical world. The robot knows how to pick up a banana, even if it has never seen a banana before.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">It can also respond to plain English, much like a chatbot. If you tell it to “pick up a banana,” it knows what that means. If you tell it to “pick up a yellow fruit,” it understands that, too.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">It can even generate videos that predict what is likely to happen as it tries to pick up a banana. These videos have no practical use in a warehouse, but they show the robot’s understanding of what’s around it. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The technology, called R.F.M., for robotics foundational model, makes mistakes,<span> </span></span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/technology/chatbots-hallucination-rates.html" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" title="">much like chatbots do</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">. Though it often understands what people ask of it, there is always a chance that it will not. It drops objects from time to time. </span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">Gary Marcus, an A.I. entrepreneur and an emeritus professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, said the technology could be useful in warehouses and other situations where mistakes are acceptable. But he said it would be more difficult and riskier to deploy in manufacturing plants and other potentially dangerous situations.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“It comes down to the cost of error,” he said. “If you have a 150-pound robot that can do something harmful, that cost can be high.” <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">As companies train this kind of system on increasingly large and varied collections of data, researchers believe it will rapidly improve.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">That is very different from the way robots operated in the past. Typically, engineers programmed robots to perform the same precise motion again and again — like pick up a box of a certain size or attach a rivet in a particular spot on the rear bumper of a car. But robots could not deal with unexpected or random situations. <br /></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">By learning from digital data — hundreds of thousands of examples of what happens in the physical world — robots can begin to handle the unexpected. And when those examples are paired with language, robots can also respond to text and voice suggestions, as a chatbot would.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.9375rem; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">This means that like chatbots and image generators, robots will become more nimble.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;">“What is in the digital data can transfer into the real world,” Dr. Chen said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 600px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #363636; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-58143727541868696622024-03-16T10:08:00.003-04:002024-03-16T10:08:46.975-04:00Russians Increasingly Desperate As Two-Thirds Of Pre-Invasion Armor Vehicles Gone<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXrj0YBLoJnvp7dxRG1XjKuQH2iAIIBWzGkCK0k-K4cyNTlefpNLMT7LmfIDxp5l6IQXWHCVPhacqZ7UWAfth7jacHqA_PXaaHkZOnPKjIKs1L1pJojrbnoTy_FkkbVy5kVM9oxRNJRE4Ixcw-uJ2ClgSI_SAI13tGYgyW6HuhhQqLoIXFNWvp4leKb0/s1200/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXrj0YBLoJnvp7dxRG1XjKuQH2iAIIBWzGkCK0k-K4cyNTlefpNLMT7LmfIDxp5l6IQXWHCVPhacqZ7UWAfth7jacHqA_PXaaHkZOnPKjIKs1L1pJojrbnoTy_FkkbVy5kVM9oxRNJRE4Ixcw-uJ2ClgSI_SAI13tGYgyW6HuhhQqLoIXFNWvp4leKb0/s320/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hence the growing Russian use of unarmored Chinese golf carts for futile attacks on Ukrainian defenses - and the failure of Russian forces to advance post-Avdiivka. JL<i> <br /></i><p></p><p><i>David Axe reports in Forbes</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>If they weren’t having problems with vehicle-generation, the Russians wouldn’t
be sending turret-less T-62s into battle—to say nothing of sending golf
carts. Struggling to generate combat vehicles after two years of hard fighting
that has cost them 3,500 IFVs - two-thirds of the pre-war
force - the Russians visibly are getting desperate. The Russians are finding it increasingly difficult fully to equip their front-line regiments and brigades as their losses outpace both
new production<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">and<span> </span></em>the recovery of old weapons from long-term storage. “Russia’s resources are not endless.”<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian industry manufactures around 30 new infantry fighting vehicles a month. So the Russian military losing 200 IFVs between<span> </span><a aria-label="Feb. 14" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://web.archive.org/web/20240214040523/https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240214040523/https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://web.archive.org/web/20240214040523/https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html">Feb. 14</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a aria-label="March 14" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html" href="https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html">March 14</a><span> </span>is ... a problem. A problem the Kremlin solves, in part, by pulling old Cold War IFVs out of storage, minimally refurbishing them and shipping them off to the front line at a rate of around 50 a month.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="article_paragraph_2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="CNrDqZ34-IQDFb6HrgUdCQoOFg" id="article-0-top" style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 1536px;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article/masthead/default/standard_2__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a aria-label="But these stocks of old vehicles are finite." class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/01/09/the-russians-could-run-out-of-infantry-fighting-vehicles-in-two-or-three-years/?sh=7462cd8c63f6" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/01/09/the-russians-could-run-out-of-infantry-fighting-vehicles-in-two-or-three-years/?sh=7462cd8c63f6" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/01/09/the-russians-could-run-out-of-infantry-fighting-vehicles-in-two-or-three-years/?sh=7462cd8c63f6">But these stocks of old vehicles are finite.</a><span> </span>There probably are just a few thousand older IFVs left in storage, and many have rusted beyond repair. Struggling to generate combat vehicles after two years of hard fighting that has cost them no fewer than 3,500 IFVs—two-thirds of the pre-war force—the Russians visibly are getting desperate.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">That desperation helps to explains two odd, do-it-yourself Russian IFVs that—<a aria-label="according to" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://twitter.com/OSINTua/status/1766094758181589316" href="https://twitter.com/OSINTua/status/1766094758181589316" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/OSINTua/status/1766094758181589316">according to</a><span> </span>Ukrainian drone-operator “Kriegsforscher”—recently appeared at the front, apparently around the ruins of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One was a 1960s-vintage T-62 tank with its turret removed, leaving an empty space in its 32-ton hull for infantry to crouch inside. The other was a 35-ton BTS-2 engineering vehicle based on a T-54 tank from the 1950s, apparently<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">also<span> </span></em>missing its top equipment—specifically, its crane and winch—in order to make space for passengers.</p><div class="halfway_hardwall_4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“It looked … creepy,” Kriegsforscher wrote about the DIY IFVs. But surely not as creepy as one of the main alternatives for the vehicle-starved Russians: Chinese golf carts.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">To be clear, the T-62 in particular isn’t a terrible basis for a fighting vehicle. It’s got a hundred millimeters of steel armor along the front, tens of millimeters of steel along the sides and a diesel engine producing as much as 620 horsepower.</p><div class="article_paragraph_7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It’s not for no reason that Ukrainian technicians rebuilt at least one captured Russian T-62, swapped out its turret and 100-millimeter main gun for the turret and 30-millimeter auto-cannon from a BMP-2 IFV and transformed the tank into a new kind of infantry support vehicle:<span> </span><a aria-label="a BMPT-62" class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/05/29/the-ukrainians-are-turning-captured-t-62-tanks-into-heavily-armored-support-vehicles/?sh=28c1b834684a" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/05/29/the-ukrainians-are-turning-captured-t-62-tanks-into-heavily-armored-support-vehicles/?sh=28c1b834684a" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/05/29/the-ukrainians-are-turning-captured-t-62-tanks-into-heavily-armored-support-vehicles/?sh=28c1b834684a">a BMPT-62</a>.</p><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="CM609J34-IQDFWDN4wcdykwOCA" id="article-0-topx-1" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article/masthead/default/standard_3__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The main problem with a T-62-based IFV in the infantry-carrier role might be that the tank hull lacks protected egress for the passengers: an armored ramp or hatch.</p><div class="embed-base embedly-align" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 19px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">That might not matter all that much, however, considering that Russian troops prefer to ride<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">on top</em><span> </span>of their IFVs rather than<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">inside<span> </span></em>of them, owing to the risk the vehicle might roll over a mine that could pulverize then cook anyone inside.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And a T-62 IFV definitely is better than, say, a 13-ton MT-LB armored tractor or, worse, an unarmored and open-top Desertcross-1000 utility vehicle weighing just 1.5 tons. A heavy-duty golf cart, basically—thousands of which the Kremlin recently bought from a Chinese company.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">More and more of the 85-horsepower Desertcrosses are rolling toward the front line in Ukraine, performing a mission any healthy army would assign to armored IFVs. More and more of the Desertcrosses—and their hapless passengers—are getting blown up by Ukrainian mines, drones, missiles and artillery. Even a few well-placed rifle rounds could ruin a Desertcross crew’s day.</p><div aria-hidden="true" class="show-label" data-google-query-id="CNuA26H4-IQDFWDN4wcdykwOCA" id="article-0-topx-2" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article/masthead/default/standard_4__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; height: auto; width: 1536px;"></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Just before March 4, Russian troops riding in several Desertcrosses<span> </span><a aria-label="attacked" class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/04/its-true-the-russian-army-attacked-ukrainian-positions-in-open-top-golf-carts/?sh=446c090844a4" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/04/its-true-the-russian-army-attacked-ukrainian-positions-in-open-top-golf-carts/?sh=446c090844a4" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/04/its-true-the-russian-army-attacked-ukrainian-positions-in-open-top-golf-carts/?sh=446c090844a4">attacked</a><span> </span>the Ukrainian garrison in Yampolivka in eastern Ukraine—and got wrecked. Four days later on March 8, Kriegsforscher identified three abandoned Desertcrosses following a failed platoon-size assault by Russian forces outside Avdiivka. Six days after<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">that</em>, analyst Andrew Perpetua<span> </span><a aria-label="tallied" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1768143629015490987" href="https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1768143629015490987" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1768143629015490987">tallied</a><span> </span>another four damaged and destroyed Desertcrosses.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As golf carts increasingly replace purpose-built IFVs in Russian service, the occasional DIY IFV that some enterprising technicians makes out of an old tank actually represents<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">progress<span> </span></em>for the increasingly threadbare Russian army in Ukraine.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Let’s be clear: Russia still has more tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery and—most critically—ammunition than Ukraine has. But the Russians are finding it increasingly difficult fully to equip all of their front-line regiments and brigades as their losses outpace both new production<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">and<span> </span></em>the recovery of old weapons from long-term storage.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">If they weren’t having problems with vehicle-generation, they wouldn’t be sending turret-less T-62s into battle—to say nothing of sending golf carts. Analyst Pavel Luzin perhaps<span> </span><a aria-label="put it most succinctly" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://jamestown.org/program/russia-exhausts-soviet-era-arms-storage-bases/" href="https://jamestown.org/program/russia-exhausts-soviet-era-arms-storage-bases/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; color: #003891; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://jamestown.org/program/russia-exhausts-soviet-era-arms-storage-bases/">put it most succinctly</a>: “Russia’s resources are not endless.”</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-53438250216031401162024-03-16T09:56:00.003-04:002024-03-16T09:56:33.771-04:00Anti-Putin Russians Capture 25 Moscow Soldiers Inside Belgorod Oblast<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMC_iHgEnAuepHxpkPalz6UZO7Ci31M0BibiDzMZl3VcCBW-O5vy3T6wDJbN4nFAGDTzx_DTr8Z0hrbp-5Ua4ME7YSQa2hbFeQLAtQ_yhNYvfBfpdnIn3wMHpW6ven5CyAf1mF-jtDPyV4J7IAh4WNGhH35TXcEwONYJGHanD-fLZRqsExa4PHQK1big/s680/Image%20-%20threat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMC_iHgEnAuepHxpkPalz6UZO7Ci31M0BibiDzMZl3VcCBW-O5vy3T6wDJbN4nFAGDTzx_DTr8Z0hrbp-5Ua4ME7YSQa2hbFeQLAtQ_yhNYvfBfpdnIn3wMHpW6ven5CyAf1mF-jtDPyV4J7IAh4WNGhH35TXcEwONYJGHanD-fLZRqsExa4PHQK1big/s320/Image%20-%20threat.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>The Anti-Putin Russian units allied with Ukraine remain across the Russian border inside Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts and have now taken 25 Russian soldiers prisoners. <p></p><p>The captured Russian POWs appear to be reinforcements sent to mine the roads around the Ukrainian allies' incursion in order to prevent them from advancing further and taking more territory. They seem to have not been given accurate intelligence about how far the invading Ukrainian allies had penetrated, leading to their capture. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Militarnyi reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>In Belgorod Oblast, soldiers of the Russian Volunteer Corps resistance captured 25 servicemen and a senior lieutenant who had been the commander of the engineering company of the military unit 54708. While mining the territory, his car came under fire. The Russian senior lieutenant said everyone who was with him had died during the task. The Russian Volunteer Corps soldiers also showed the interrogation of the captured officer.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the Belgorod Oblast, soldiers of the Russian resistance captured 25 servicemen with an officer of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian Volunteer Corps,<span> </span><a href="https://t.me/russvolcorps/910" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>that a senior lieutenant had been captured by them.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The soldiers also showed the interrogation of the captured officer, who said that he had been the commander in the engineering company of the military unit 54708.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">According to the prisoner, during the task of mining the territory, his car came under fire from the RVC.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian senior lieutenant Aleksey added that everyone who was with him had died during the task.<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></em></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I was the only one alive, and I was taken prisoner,”</em><span> </span>the Russian military said.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In addition to the officer, the Russian Volunteer Corps showed more than two dozen prisoners who were placed in three cars.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The commander of the RVC, Denis Kapustin, noted that the statements of the Russian authorities about the loss of Russian resistance members are not true.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“All statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation about the full destruction of the RVC forces are another lie. A limited military operation in the Belgorod and Kursk Oblast continues and here is confirmation – a new batch of captured military of the Russian Armed Forces,”</em><span> </span>said Denis Kapustin.</p><img alt="Полонені російські військові, яких захопили у Білгородській області бійці російського спротиву. Березень 2024. Росія. Кадр з відео формування «Русский добровольческий корпус»" class="size-full wp-image-244065" height="1079" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot_3-20.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1919" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Captured Russian soldiers who were captured by Russian resistance members in the Belgorod region. March 2024. Russia. Frame from the video of the Russian Volunteer Corps</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As previously reported, on March 12, an information appeared that Russian volunteers on the side of Ukraine began a joint operation in the Belgorod and Kursk Oblast.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the formation, the Freedom of Russia Legion said they had been coming to “free Russians from poverty and fear.” The Sibir Battalion reported that “they began to fulfill the promise to overthrow the criminal dictatorial regime in the Russian Federation with weapons in hand.”</p><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-243488" height="560" src="https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Polish_20240312_102948056-1.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" width="1080" /><label style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: block; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 3px auto 30px; max-width: 570px; opacity: 0.5; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Soldier of the Freedom of Russia Legion. March 2024</label><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a4357; font-family: "Fira Sans", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.75rem; margin: 0px 0px 25px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">On March 14, the Russian resistance called on residents of the Kursk and Belgorod Oblast of Russia to urgently evacuate in connection with a limited military operation.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-12555307759831636322024-03-16T09:38:00.002-04:002024-03-16T09:38:25.662-04:00Ukraine Special Forces Eliminate Russians Attempting To Mine Dnipro River<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAW4xJiPIWYT6W0XT2UvuRErX4pXf3eGpfrM-svd32bA_0rjaYP73RoonNpTnGG9FlwkpVEA6MZZeXtpX2Uismip2BaaE7lw92Xoj1d1Y9OzoqwV-CV-JdDSfYSDsTha_ZPSNcQWTVKoHWQTnZZUmNw1unbLihcNWJo2I8GX9FoZU8kltGUYlbBVnerA/s899/Image%20-%20head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="899" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAW4xJiPIWYT6W0XT2UvuRErX4pXf3eGpfrM-svd32bA_0rjaYP73RoonNpTnGG9FlwkpVEA6MZZeXtpX2Uismip2BaaE7lw92Xoj1d1Y9OzoqwV-CV-JdDSfYSDsTha_ZPSNcQWTVKoHWQTnZZUmNw1unbLihcNWJo2I8GX9FoZU8kltGUYlbBVnerA/s320/Image%20-%20head.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Having failed to push the Ukrainians back from their expanding cross-Dnipro bridgehead, Russian troops tried sowing mines in waterways leading to the Dnipro River. <p></p><p>The Russians were discovered almost immediately by Ukrainian drones and then eliminated by Ukrainian Special Forces. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Valentyna Romanenko reports in Ukraine Pravda</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF)
prevented an attempt by the Russians to mine the approaches to the
Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. During aerial reconnaissance on the Southern front, operators of the
73rd Marine Centre of the SOF found a Russian car with a gun carriage
and two boats. The Russians were planning to mine reservoirs in one of the settlements. The SOF unit quickly hit Russian targets with UAVs destroying a Russian dugout, a motor vehicle and a boat.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have prevented an attempt by the Russians to mine the approaches to the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Details:</strong><span> </span>During aerial reconnaissance on the Southern front, operators of the 73rd Marine Centre of the SOF found a Russian car with a gun carriage and two boats.</p><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></center><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian personnel were also on the scene. It was established that the Russians were planning an exit to mine reservoirs in one of the settlements.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The SOF unit quickly hit Russian targets with UAVs.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have posted a video showing their personnel destroying a Russian dugout, a motor vehicle and a boat on the Southern front.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Quote:</strong><span> </span>"A range of enemy targets have been damaged and destroyed, including a vehicle and a camouflaged boat.</p><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></center><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In addition, [SOF officers] acting jointly with one of the Defence Forces units destroyed an enemy dugout, causing the enemy to suffer losses and flee the position."</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-11877656891611069262024-03-15T14:03:00.005-04:002024-03-15T14:05:52.109-04:00Failing To Advance Post-Avdiivka, Russian Reserves Needed Vs Stabilized Ukrainians<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHBHh23NEYkDrnl3EdS6WvvrvNoK86nUX7k0SvpeuXR2RDgPLfv7GrluFGgmYAKliBeWek1mc0kV1OY_A81vsYQynEKDX_8O-8J7Y_85DeHhuNLu3i7kX63E4RuFOkLlfvKwlPJ_QrYSV_3EAl64JoxofhJxl-YVQWUr4rO8DderS9r90-m1xqLbvZBY/s1200/Image%20-%20face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHBHh23NEYkDrnl3EdS6WvvrvNoK86nUX7k0SvpeuXR2RDgPLfv7GrluFGgmYAKliBeWek1mc0kV1OY_A81vsYQynEKDX_8O-8J7Y_85DeHhuNLu3i7kX63E4RuFOkLlfvKwlPJ_QrYSV_3EAl64JoxofhJxl-YVQWUr4rO8DderS9r90-m1xqLbvZBY/s320/Image%20-%20face.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>The Kremlin and Russia's military leadership believed that once they took Avdiivka, they would begin to roll back Ukrainian defenses, especially as Russian-corrupted US Republicans held up further military aid to Ukraine. <p></p><p>The Russians were as right about this prediction as they were in 2022 about taking Kyiv in 3 days. Which is to say, the Ukrainian defenses have not only held, but have now forced Russia to commit reserves it had saved for a strategic breakthrough - that never happened. JL <i> </i></p><p><i>The Institute For the Study of War reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #424242; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The
Russian military is committing tactical reserves to Russian offensive efforts in the Lyman direction, near
Bakhmut, and west of Donetsk to prevent Ukrainian
forces from further stabilizing the frontline. These reserves were meant to
exploit an envisioned Russian breakthrough of Ukrainian defenses, not support offensive operations against
stabilizing Ukrainian defenses. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #424242; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">These troops would be inadequate to permit the Russian military to
collapse Ukrainian defenses. Russian forces have struggled to achieve more than gradual marginal tactical gains in
Ukraine since mid-2022, and the introduction of limited reserves does not change Russian prospects for significant gains because Russian forces have not demonstrated the capability to conduct sound mechanized maneuvers to
take large swaths of territory rapidly</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #424242; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><a name='more'></a><strong style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian forces may be currently committing tactical and operational reserves to fighting in eastern Ukraine in an effort to maintain and potentially intensify the tempo of ongoing Russian offensive operations. </strong><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #424242; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated on March 14 that the Russian military command is committing tactical and operational reserves to Russian offensive efforts in the Lyman direction, near Bakhmut, and west and southwest of Donetsk Oblast to prevent Ukrainian forces from further stabilizing the frontline in these areas.[10] Mashovets stated that many of these reserves were meant to exploit an envisioned Russian breakthrough of Ukrainian defenses, not necessarily to support current Russian offensive operations against stabilizing Ukrainian defensive positions.[11] Mashovets stated that Russian forces recently committed additional elements of the 3rd Army Corps (AC) to fighting southwest of Bakhmut; an unspecified reserve regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division (8th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Southern Military District [SMD]) and the 10th Tank Regiment (1st Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] AC) to fighting southwest of Donetsk City; and elements of the 272nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (47th Tank Division, 1st Guards Tank Army [GTA]) to the Lyman direction.[12] Mashovets added that Russian forces still possess appropriate reserves to further intensify offensive operations but that these reserves would likely be inadequate to permit the Russian military to collapse Ukrainian defenses.[13] Russian forces have previously struggled to achieve more than gradual marginal tactical gains in Ukraine since mid-2022, and the introduction of tactical or even limited operational reserves in itself does not change Russian prospects for operationally significant gains because Russian forces have not yet demonstrated the capability to conduct sound mechanized maneuvers to take large swaths of territory rapidly</span></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-63551001806130986702024-03-15T10:46:00.003-04:002024-03-15T10:46:35.996-04:00As Anti-Putin Invaders Blow Up Army Facilities, Russia Bombs Own Territory<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3Lmh4quvM0xVV0zaf_-bSenvt-TMeemwYeWshRFD1Bnc3OFSFgA6fNOcoDaScArQV_02CJSAReHRRKYvJ4wVD3aEq8kmAp71CgQ9_QwUOQD2fIyIj19jPJcLwuPeUyrLDEwvtXMKA3-FD71s8Zz0csJDg3_f2zFHDLU0Bb0bNp17UG7iCmsc8Zobc3g/s480/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3Lmh4quvM0xVV0zaf_-bSenvt-TMeemwYeWshRFD1Bnc3OFSFgA6fNOcoDaScArQV_02CJSAReHRRKYvJ4wVD3aEq8kmAp71CgQ9_QwUOQD2fIyIj19jPJcLwuPeUyrLDEwvtXMKA3-FD71s8Zz0csJDg3_f2zFHDLU0Bb0bNp17UG7iCmsc8Zobc3g/s320/Image%20-%20risk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As Ukraine-allied anti-Putin Russian troops continued their attack on Russian border communities, the Russian air force was observed bombing its own territory in an attempt to drive the invaders back. The anti-Putin troops have now blown up two Russian army ammunition warehouses in the area. <p></p><p>Russian residents of Belgorod are complaining that Kremlin forces have placed Grad rocket units in the midst of residential neighborhoods in hopes it will deter Ukrainian forces from shelling them there. At the same time, local authorities are now preventing civilians from evacuating because the Kremlin wants them to vote in this weekend's foreordained Putin re-election. JL<br /></p><p><i>Kaitlin Lewis reports in Newsweek and Kateryna Zakharchenko reports in the Kyiv Post</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Russia's Air Force has bombed its own territory near the border with
Ukraine amid a multi-pronged incursion by anti-Putin Russians. And the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) shared on Thursday
a drone camera video showing the destruction of ammunition depots in the Kursk region where its fighters attacked. The
warehouses were in the village of Tetkino in southwestern Russia. Civilians in<span> </span>Belgorod complain that the<span> </span>Russian military<span> </span>has deployed military equipment in residential areas and is opening fire from there. <span></span>Belgorod authorities are noe blocking the evacuation of Russian civilians<span> </span>to keep people in the region to participate in the election which runs from March 15-17.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">A pro-Ukrainian Russian militia unit said Thursday that its fighters destroyed two of Moscow's ammunition warehouses in Russia's Kursk region near the Ukrainian border.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">The Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR), a volunteer militia group that is fighting alongside Ukrainians in the war with Russia, shared on Thursday a video to its social accounts showing the moment that a drone camera captured the destruction of the ammunition depots. The group said the warehouses were in the village of Tetkino in southwestern Russia. <br /></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia's Air Force has bombed its own territory near the border with Ukraine amid a multi-pronged incursion by Russian defectors serving with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a video appears to show.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Andriy Tsaplienko, a Ukrainian journalist,<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://t.me/Tsaplienko/50058" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">shared a video of an explosion</a><span> </span>on Friday after the Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)—three<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/meet-russian-rebel-groups-waging-war-within-putins-own-borders-1793715" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Ukraine-aligned volunteer military units</a>—on Tuesday launched a crossborder raid<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-insurgents-claim-russian-village-march-moscow-1878438" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">into Russia</a>'s southern Belgorod and Kursk regions.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">"While Putin's army is destroying civilian homes, Legion artillerymen destroyed 2 ammunition depots of Putin's combat in Tetkino at once," the LSR wrote<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://x.com/legion_svoboda/status/1768218662656266408?s=20" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">in a post</a><span> </span>alongside the video on X (formerly<span> </span><a class="multivariate" data-sys="1" href="https://www.newsweek.com/topic/twitter" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</a>). "It burns beautifully."</p><figure class="fullCode" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; height: auto; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 10px auto 20px; max-width: 100%; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="innerBox" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="code" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; width: 550px;"></div></div></div></figure><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">The LSR is one of<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/map-ukraine-allies-gained-russian-territory-1878517" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">several Russian volunteer paramilitary units</a><span> </span>fighting on behalf of the Ukrainians against Moscow's troops. The group said on Tuesday that its fighters, along with members of the Russian Volunteer Corps militia group, had<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-belgorod-kursk-saboteurs-ukraine-raid-1878204" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">entered Russian territory</a><span> </span>through the Belgorod and Kursk regions in armored vehicles. In the online message, the LSR said it was "on the attack."</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">The LSR also<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/map-ukraine-allies-gained-russian-territory-1878517" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">claimed full control</a><span> </span>of the village of Tyotkino on Tuesday, although<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">Newsweek<span> </span></em>was unable to independently verify the claim. Russia's Defense Ministry said earlier that day that it had fended off attacks from "Ukrainian terrorist groups" in the region. <br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Civilians in Russia’s<span> </span><a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/topic/belgorod" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(198, 31, 64) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif !important; font-size: 21px !important; text-decoration: none;">Belgorod</a><span> </span>region complain that they cannot sleep at night because the<span> </span><a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/topic/russian-armed-forces" style="--bs-link-color-rgb: var(--bs-link-hover-color-rgb); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(198, 31, 64) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif !important; font-size: 21px !important; text-decoration: none;">Russian military</a><span> </span>has deployed military equipment in residential areas and is opening fire from there.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In an<span> </span><a href="https://t.me/DIUkraine/3599" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(198, 31, 64) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif !important; font-size: 21px !important; text-decoration: none;">intercepted cal</a>l released by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (<a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/topic/hur" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(198, 31, 64) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif !important; font-size: 21px !important; text-decoration: none;">HUR</a>) on Thursday, March 14, a woman living in the Belgorod region revealed that the Russian authorities had placed BM-21 122mm Grad MLRS launchers at a street intersection near her home in a residential neighborhood.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“They destroyed half of Gorkovsky, a village in the Hraivoronsky district of the Belgorod region, they say. And now they’re still doing it,” the woman says in a phone conversation.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“They decided to put Grads at the intersection near Kirpichne. It’s so loud, it’s like a f*cking nightmare at the junction.”</p><div class="section-wrapper ad_between_paragraphs ad_between_paragraphs_0 mb-4 " style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1.5rem !important; margin-top: 24px; min-height: 350px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: center !important; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; z-index: 10;"><div class="ad-placeholder" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; min-height: inherit; padding: 30px; position: absolute; width: 686.2px; z-index: -1;"><div class="ad-placeholder-box" style="align-items: center; 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font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The woman adds that she could not sleep all night because of the constant firing.</p><div id="enternity_vidverto_container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; 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white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“And me, too, I didn’t sleep a wink tonight, all night long. It’s a nightmare!”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Fighting between pro-Ukrainian Russian “freedom fighters” and the Kremlin’s troops is continuing in Russia's Belgorod region.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Pro-Ukrainian groups such as the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), the Russian Freedom Legion (LSR), and the Siberia Battalion are taking part in fighting close to the Ukrainian border.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The combat action began on Tuesday, March 12, after an advance the Russian volunteers said they had been planning for months to coincide with Putin's “fake elections.”</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A source from HUR told the Kyiv Post on Thursday, that<span> </span><a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/post/29516" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(198, 31, 64) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif !important; font-size: 21px !important; text-decoration: none;">Belgorod authorities are blocking the evacuation of Russian civilians</a><span> </span>to keep people in the region to participate in the election which runs from March 15-17.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">According to the source, train stations are blocked off for people trying to leave Belgorod, saying “If there were an evacuation, there would be no election.”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(49, 50, 53) !important; font-family: "Source Serif 4", serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 350; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6 !important; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The ballot, according to the volunteer groups now fighting in Belgorod, is only a show “election intended to rubber-stamp President Vladimir Putin’s continued rule.”</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">One of LSR's volunteers, Alexei Baranovsky,<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-insurgents-claim-russian-village-march-moscow-1878438" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">told<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">Newsweek<span> </span></em>earlier this week</a><span> </span>that the militias' attack on Russian territory was a surprise to President<span> </span><a class="multivariate" data-sys="1" href="https://www.newsweek.com/topic/vladimir-putin" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Vladimir Putin</a>'s soldiers, who "did not expect these breakthroughs in two separate regions simultaneously, so let's see how this situation unfolds."</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Baranovsky added that the rebels' ultimate goal was to eventually "march on Moscow" and achieve "the ensuing liberation of Russia from Putin."</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">"We may not be able to pull it off now, but that is our overarching mission," he said.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">The recent string of attacks on Russian territory come just days ahead of the country's next presidential election, in which Putin is certain to win reelection. Baranovsky told<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">Newsweek<span> </span></em>that launching attacks ahead of the federal election<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/russian-rebels-plan-putin-guns-grenades-armored-vehicles-1878730" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">was timely</a>.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">While the militias "may not be able to stop the federal election," he said, the groups "can disrupt the regional votes, so we are doing what we can by bringing this 'air of freedom' to at least some parts of the country."</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">Cross-border attacks are not new along Russia's shared border with Ukraine. Several raids were launched on the Belgorod region in 2023, and Baranovsky<span> </span><a class="multivariate" href="https://www.newsweek.com/putin-army-trying-belgorod-failing-freedom-russia-legion-1805262" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f72210; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">told<span> </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">Newsweek<span> </span></em>last summer</a><span> </span>that such attacks were proof that Putin's military is stretched thin.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 843.331px; word-spacing: 0px;">"The reaction of the Russian government and the armed forces on the rebel invasion to the Belgorod region was not weak," he said in June 2023. "On the contrary, Putin's army is trying its best."</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-46366076576029826702024-03-15T10:11:00.005-04:002024-03-15T10:11:52.632-04:00Ukraine Attacks, Damages 4 More Major Russian Oil Refineries<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFNeGS5HpuZBcph1pRQQJRY6lBDZ4ipapRhBHtCYFoyY-5cbpv-hAOQKhaM7zf9cbUVnotgiam8pOVcQ7Jl7ycykSPjnOvAo5LsB4QQAP3blM6J55pK8aa-LVU-d00_eIwq1KNvzfoQIOoBzredxBhQZKSMnVonszRwx-npq7tFGFzyLbkEFoeULchds/s225/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFNeGS5HpuZBcph1pRQQJRY6lBDZ4ipapRhBHtCYFoyY-5cbpv-hAOQKhaM7zf9cbUVnotgiam8pOVcQ7Jl7ycykSPjnOvAo5LsB4QQAP3blM6J55pK8aa-LVU-d00_eIwq1KNvzfoQIOoBzredxBhQZKSMnVonszRwx-npq7tFGFzyLbkEFoeULchds/w320-h320/Image%20-%20damage.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Ukraine continued its long range attacks on Russia's oil refining capacity for a second day, hitting four more refineries deep within Russia, three of them major producers. <p></p><p>The strategy is both to degrade Russia's economy and to send a message to the Russian people that Putin is increasingly incapable of protecting them from this war that he started. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Rob Picheta and colleagues report in CNN</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Kyiv intensifies its cross-border strikes days before President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated re-election. Ukraine struck three Russian oil refineries targeted in the cities of Ryazan, about 130
miles southeast of Moscow; Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, nearly
300 miles east of the capital; and Kirishi in Russia’s northwest. The
trio of facilities are among Russia’s largest refineries. A fourth facility – the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don – was also hit. Ukraine is “implementing a well-planned strategy to decrease Russian economic potential.”<a name='more'></a>Ukraine has<strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span> </span></strong>launched drone attacks on at least three oil refineries deep inside Russia, as Kyiv intensifies its cross-border strikes days before President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated re-election.</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>A Ukrainian defense source told CNN on Wednesday that Ukraine is “implementing a well-planned strategy to decrease Russian economic potential.”</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote>It struck three Russian oil refineries targeted in the cities of Ryazan, about 130 miles southeast of Moscow; Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, nearly 300 miles east of the capital; and Kirishi in Russia’s northwest. The trio of facilities are among Russia’s largest refineries, the source said.<div class="teads-adCall" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A fourth facility – the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don – was also hit, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said Wednesday.</div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-adCall" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It marked the second consecutive day of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy sites, and the locations targeted represent a spate of attacks well within Russia’s territory.“Our goal is to take away our enemy’s resources and decrease the flow of oil money and fuel Russia is using directly on the war,” the source told CNN.They came after a chaotic day on the Russian side of the Ukrainian border, during which pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters said they<span> </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/europe/russia-belgorod-border-ukraine-attack-intl/index.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-color); font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-paragraph__font-size--from-small); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); text-decoration-color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-color); text-decoration-line: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration); text-decoration-skip-ink: var(--theme-underline-skip-ink); text-decoration-thickness: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-thickness); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-underline-offset: var(--theme-paragraph__hover-link-offset);">launched cross-border attacks</a><span> </span>and claimed to have gained control of the village of Tyotkino in Russia’s Kursk region.</div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-adCall" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The village remained under fire “all day” on Wednesday, the regional governor said.The fallout from the attack continued into Wednesday. The Freedom for Russia Legion, a group of Russian dissidents fighting for Ukraine which has previously claimed responsibility for incursions into Russia, said in a series of posts on Telegram on Wednesday that its fighters had destroyed a command center in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region, and were advancing further.</div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="teads-adCall" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">CNN cannot independently verify the group’s claims. 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font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“There was a control center and there is no control center,” the group said. “We are bringing a crisis to the bloody regime’s defense industry closer.”</p><h2 class="subheader" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="subheader" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/subheader/instances/cltpr1esb00053b6hc6z33swp@published" id="strikes-come-as-russias-election-nears" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: inherit; color: #0c0c0c; display: block; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-subheader-h2__font-size); font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: var(--theme-subheader__font-weight); left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: var(--theme-subheader-h2__line-height); margin: 0px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; padding: 16px 0px 8px; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Strikes come as Russia’s election nears</h2><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpr0nb000003b6hkxw6e97z@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday its air defenses destroyed 58 Ukrainian drones overnight, including some that traveled as far as the Leningrad region, which borders Finland, supporting Kyiv’s claims.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpnwpgj000e3b6hzbfiv0mr@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The regional governor in Ryazan, Pavel Malkov, said a fire broke out at the facility there but has since been extinguished. He said two people were injured.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpnxr9i000g3b6hiyev7enw@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Social media video from the refinery complex, one of Russia’s largest, showed a large plume of smoke billowing from a building in the distance.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltq0bgdk00023b6hsc1r879n@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Later on Wednesday, Andrii Yusov of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don had been attacked but that Kyiv has not confirmed involvement.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltq0ckhu00043b6hbbk3ukdv@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“Despite the fact that it seems to be an oil plant, it is a military facility used to supply and maintain the occupation forces,” Yusov said during an interview on national television. “The company’s operations are currently suspended. This means that the enemy will have problems and disruptions in their plans and our defenders will have additional opportunities and time.”</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpny4r8000k3b6hj4nbeftb@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A day earlier, Russian authorities reported at least 25 drone attacks, with local officials in the Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions reporting hits to fuel and energy facilities.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpny2hs000i3b6hyapluegl@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">No casualties have been reported from either Tuesday or Wednesday’s attacks.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpo8sum000u3b6hr3qzenuf@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But an apparent cross-border incursion on Tuesday saw attacks launched in the village of Odnorobovka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, and in the nearby Russian villages of Nekhoteevka and Spodariushino in Belgorod, according to Russian authorities.</p><div class="related-content related-content--article" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/related-content/instances/cltpokmwi001n3b6hq10d36p2@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: black; display: block; float: left; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; height: auto; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 24px 24px 0px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 16px; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 209px; word-spacing: 0px; z-index: 1;"><a class="related-content__link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/europe/russia-belgorod-border-ukraine-attack-intl" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; align-items: flex-start; box-sizing: inherit; color: inherit; display: block; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><div class="related-content__image image__related-content" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; display: flex; min-width: 0px; position: relative; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 209px;"><div class="image image__hide-placeholder image--eq-extra-small" data-breakpoints="{"image--eq-extra-small": 115, "image--eq-small": 300}" data-component-name="image" data-editable="settings" data-image-variation="image" data-name="" data-observe-resizes="" data-original-height="1023" data-original-ratio="0.639375" data-original-width="1600" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/image/instances/clto9plwk001929nkhhwn6yay@published" data-url="https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/c3a11288-6568-4626-a687-d569bd4c6b04.jpg?q=h_1023,w_1600,x_0,y_0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 209px;"><div class="image__container " data-breakpoints="{"image--eq-extra-small": 115, "image--eq-small": 300, "image--show-credits": 596}" data-image-variation="image" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><picture class="image__picture" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; display: contents; height: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 100%;"><img alt="Cars drive past a stele displaying the city name in Belgorod, Russia, on June 8." class="image__dam-img" height="1023" src="https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/c3a11288-6568-4626-a687-d569bd4c6b04.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_144,w_256,c_fill" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; height: 117.562px; object-fit: cover; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 209px;" width="1600" /></picture></div><div class="image__metadata" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; display: grid; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"></div></div></div><p class="related-content__headline" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="related-content__title-text" data-editable="content.title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 16px; margin: 8px 0px 4px; min-height: 14px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">RELATED ARTICLE</span><span class="related-content__headline-text" data-editable="content.headline" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0c0c0c; display: block; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Pro-Ukrainian Russian forces claim cross-border attacks in Russia</span></p></a></div><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpoca7s00123b6hpqrahaft@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russia’s Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 10 civilians were injured and six were hospitalized in the region on Tuesday.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltptnxjr00073b6hizqf5e41@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the neighboring Kursk region, the Russian village of Tyotkino has been under fire “all day” on Wednesday after pro-Ukrainian groups said they had it under control, the region’s Governor Roman Starovoyt said.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltptqp3q000f3b6hhonlzl4q@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A building and a store have been damaged, he said.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltptnyo7000a3b6hv3qofon1@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“As soon as it is safe to do so, a door-to-door search will be carried out in the village. We will certainly provide assistance to all owners of damaged property in its restoration,” Starovoyt said.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpnyhyg000m3b6hex957zi9@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As well as targeting Russia’s deep oil reserves, Kyiv’s latest strikes may be partially intended to bring home to Russians the impact of the war just as the country prepares for a presidential election.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpo0m3u000o3b6ho6zhz3qi@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The vote is<span> </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/europe/russia-presidential-election-explainer-putin-intl/index.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-color); font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: var(--theme-paragraph__font-size--from-small); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); text-decoration-color: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-color); text-decoration-line: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration); text-decoration-skip-ink: var(--theme-underline-skip-ink); text-decoration-thickness: var(--theme-paragraph__link-decoration-thickness); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-underline-offset: var(--theme-paragraph__hover-link-offset);">essentially certain to hand Putin a fifth term</a>, extending his rule into the 2030s. Voting will take place over three days from Friday, with the president sailing towards another spell in power in a ballot that is not considered free or fair and in which he faces no genuine competition.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpo3gi9000q3b6hphdrf8fo@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">During a lengthy interview on state television channel Rossiya 1 on Wednesday, Putin said Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and Kursk are happening amid Kyiv’s “failures” on the battlefield.</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="on" data-article-gutter="true" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cltpogjrv00143b6hzjdr7whf@published" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: cnn_sans_display, helveticaneue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; left: 118.3px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: var(--theme-paragraph__line-height--from-small); margin: 0px 0px 16px; max-width: 676px; orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">“All this is happening against the backdrop of failures on the line of contact, on the front line. They did not achieve any of the goals they set for themselves last year,” Putin said. “Against the backdrop of those failures, they need to show at least something, and, mainly, attention should be focused on the information side of the matter.”</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-56017155108126545102024-03-15T09:54:00.004-04:002024-03-15T09:54:42.867-04:00Elite Ukrainian Drone Units Launch Night Operations Against Russians<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QZ047r6RGx2BcR1KTlWjK9PopuqOtG3RK-wRF91wVFbC4kA1uZgD-_sk2VMaO2oiKsc-rtARHaODV36VQvggIOpFRVQLaupsTEX1LPYOHQ_6pS3kJIK_xDXbaupk8ArD8717Dit5jautDRRBmqhvvOZsuwhNryk0l6E4BwH2xbhaueSui7Fqd1X1gRY/s1110/Image%20-%20night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1110" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QZ047r6RGx2BcR1KTlWjK9PopuqOtG3RK-wRF91wVFbC4kA1uZgD-_sk2VMaO2oiKsc-rtARHaODV36VQvggIOpFRVQLaupsTEX1LPYOHQ_6pS3kJIK_xDXbaupk8ArD8717Dit5jautDRRBmqhvvOZsuwhNryk0l6E4BwH2xbhaueSui7Fqd1X1gRY/s320/Image%20-%20night.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Drone technology and lethality have improved significantly, giving Ukrainian units an advantage in their efforts to degrade Russian combat operations. JL<i> </i><p></p><p><i>Neil Hauer reports in CBC News</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote> Elite drone units searching for Russian troops in the dead of night are playing a greater role in its defence. Ukraine is now using an enormous amount of drones, acquiring<span> </span><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">as many as 50,000</u><span> </span>first-person view (FPV) drones per month. The art of drone warfare is a subtle one. The operators must contend
with obstacles from Russian small arms fire to inclement
weather and signal jamming. Computers display different video feeds, between live drone imagery and satellite maps of the location being
surveyed. A drone dropped an incendiary grenade engulfing a trench in fire. There was no visible movement when the flames subsided. "Another one for our highlight reel." <a name='more'></a><br /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The soldiers drove up to an abandoned holiday home, somewhere along the Oskil River in northeast Ukraine in late February. The night was clear and still — a sharp contrast to the daylight hours filled with the near-constant boom of artillery fire. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The only interruption to the darkness was the flash of a Russian airstrike somewhere in the near distance, painting the horizon with a flood of orange light for a brief second.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The slow whir of a descending drone overhead broke the silence. "Is that one of ours?" one of the soldiers asked another. The reply: "I sure hope so." </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As Ukraine sits outgunned and outnumbered, these men — part of an elite drone unit searching for Russian troops in the dead of night — are playing an ever greater role in its defence.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine is now using an enormous amount of drones — by some counts, it is acquiring<span> </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/10/in-the-hottest-sector-of-the-ukraine-war-the-ukrainians-might-deploy-as-many-drones-as-the-russians-deploy-soldiers/#:~:text=Partnering%20with%20a%20growing%20network,a%20million%20FPVs%20this%20year." style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">as many as 50,000</u></a><span> </span>first-person view (FPV) drones per month.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Ukraine on Tuesday launched a series of long-range drone attacks into eight regions of Russia,<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-russia-1.7140964" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">hitting at least two oil facilities</a>, according to Russian officials. <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The country's minister of digital transformation stated recently that Ukraine<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-will-produce-over-1-million-drones-this-year-official-2024-2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">aims to build one million drones this year</u></a>, in addition to those it buys from abroad. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Last month, Canada's defence minister, Bill Blair, announced that the federal government would be<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-donating-drones-ukraine-1.7119560" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">donating 800 drones</a><span> </span>to Ukraine. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But Russia has ramped up its drone production even further: the highest estimates placing its monthly acquisitions at<span> </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2024/02/29/russian-fpv-operators-claim-abrams-kill/?sh=4504cb451280" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">300,000</u></a>.</p><h2 dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.625rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian advances</h2><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It's no secret that the past few months have been difficult ones for Ukraine. As Western aid has lagged, with a U.S. military package<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2311841347549" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">held up in Congress</u></a><span> </span>for months, Russian forces have pressed the advantage. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">They<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-withdraws-troops-avdiivka-1.7118227" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">recently conquered</u></a><span> </span>the fortress town of Avdiivka, in Ukraine's southeast, forcing the beleaguered defenders to withdraw in the face of overwhelming firepower and handing Moscow its most significant battlefield victory since the capture of Bakhmut last May. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">All eyes are now on what will be the next Russian target. </p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One likely candidate is Kupiansk, a previously occupied town in Kharkiv province, where the Russians have allegedly amassed<span> </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/03/russia-has-massed-500-tanks-for-an-attack-on-kupyansk-thousands-of-ukrainian-drones-await-them/" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><u style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none;">over 40,000 troops and 500 tanks</u></a><span> </span>for an assault. The intensity of Russian attacks in the area has steadily ramped up in recent weeks, portending a larger battle to come.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It's against this background that Ukraine's drone operators, like the unit along the Oskil River, have grown in importance.</p><h2 dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.625rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Drone manoeuvres in the dark</h2><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As the half-dozen men under his command began their silent preparation for the night's first mission, Roman, the unit's commander, pointed across the river.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Just down there, maybe a kilometre away, are the Russians," he whispered. "They are close enough that it is dangerous to even smoke a cigarette out here. There are snipers working, and they can see the light." </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">All of the Ukrainian soldiers interviewed only identified themselves by their call sign or first name, as per the army's restriction for active-duty military personnel. <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Roman's men steadied the drone on a clearing outside an abandoned home. This particular drone, sporting six rotors, is known as a "Vampire" for its night vision optics. Four bombs — three 82-mm mortar rounds and an incendiary grenade — were affixed to it before it quietly whirred into the air.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"We must head to the bunker now," Roman said, gesturing to a cellar entrance a few metres away. "The Russians will send their own drones soon."</p><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><ul class="similarLinks"><li class="similarListItem"><a class="similarLink" data-contentid="" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-kyiv-ukraine-russia-1.7124330" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><span class="similarLinkText" style="display: inline;">Trudeau signs $3-billion security deal for Ukraine on 2nd anniversary of Russian invasion</span></a></li></ul></div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the cellar, four men sat fixed on an array of tablet computers. Each one displayed a different video feed, flittering between live drone imagery and satellite maps of the location being surveyed.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"One of the other drones working in the area has spotted a Russian trench," Roman said. "Now we will go to work on it." <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The art of drone warfare is a subtle one. The operators must contend with a host of obstacles, from Russian small arms fire to inclement weather and electronic countermeasures, particularly signal jamming. With each Vampire drone carrying a price tag of $30,000 US (around $40,500 Cdn), conditions have to be carefully prepared to minimize losses.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the bunker, one of the drone operators called out to his squad mates when the smaller reconnaissance drone he was operating found the trench in question. His black-and-white video feed showed several bright figures in motion: Russian soldiers taking cover.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A call crackled in from the radio: orders from headquarters to strike the targets. Roman issued commands to his men before turning with a grin. <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"I hope this can be another one for our highlight reel," he said, referring to several videos from his phone shown to CBC, each depicting graphic black-and-white scenes of precise strikes on Russian positions obliterating a half-dozen enemy soldiers each.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">With the Vampire drone in position, it dropped the first mortar bomb, which spends 20 seconds falling to earth before missing the trench by a few metres. While the Russians hunker down, a second mortar bomb is dropped — another miss.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Plan B. Light them up," Roman ordered. The drone dropped the incendiary grenade engulfing the trench in a blaze of fire. There was no visible movement when the flames subsided.</p><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><ul class="similarLinks"><li class="similarListItem"><a class="similarLink" data-contentid="" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-war-budanov-1.7127990" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><span class="similarLinkText" style="display: inline;">Ukrainian spy chief defiant as military grapples with shortages</span></a></li></ul><ul class="similarLinks"><li class="similarListItem"><a class="similarLink" data-contentid="" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/zelenskyy-safety-russia-ukraine-war-1.7136014" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;"><span class="similarLinkText" style="display: inline;">A Russian missile exploded near Zelenskyy. Experts say the Ukrainian leader's still Putin's top target</span></a></li></ul></div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Their first mission complete, the drone began its return flight to the base. It will conduct anywhere from 12 to 18 missions over the course of the team's 12-hour dusk-to-dawn shift. <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Vitaly, one of the drone operators, has been in Ukraine's military for nearly two full years now. He has watched the evolution of his role — and its importance — in real time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"In 2022, in the beginning, it was a normal war: artillery, tanks and all that," Vitaly said. "But over time, we came to understand how necessary drones are. Now, it's a war of drones and artillery: We correct their fire, spot targets for them, even drop bombs ourselves." </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Artem, in his early 20s, joined the unit after living under Russian occupation near Kyiv at the start of the war. He went even further in describing the crucial importance of Ukraine's drones.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"We [drone operators] have to be the eyes in the sky for the infantry," Artem said. </p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Without us, they can only sit in the trenches and wait to die. We can tell them if they have a window to attack, if Russians are coming at them, if they have Russian tanks on top of them, everything." <br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Once the Vampire drone had arrived back at base, another mission for it had already been queued up: a Russian tank had been spotted manoeuvring along a road nearby. The Vampire was loaded up with an anti-tank mine, to be placed along the tank's likely path.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As it lifted off again, Roman expanded on his squad mates' comments — and the unsaid implications of Ukraine's declining ammunition stocks.</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"They are right that this is a drone and artillery war," he said. "Our part of this is still working well. But without the other element, we will struggle."</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-41105614776894533162024-03-15T09:37:00.003-04:002024-03-15T09:37:27.100-04:00Anti-Putin Russian Attack Has Turned Border Region Into "Active Combat Zone"<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJyiNzlZewMDb-ywmTfPp0q036s6iUcEJZn0NJ_ANxq6iGROnf4hcliauRI3KTcMwI7Z_I3XT9FYcks27UDDcEzem8t8KO3v7r7OHbi48-YTTNUnkDEs6hKJnH6gl7Yr-zWL0Pg2dmcm4R08DT9rn_DpfcpZLsYh3No6iJjsEWbR4EMu4TObphx9HJU4/s400/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJyiNzlZewMDb-ywmTfPp0q036s6iUcEJZn0NJ_ANxq6iGROnf4hcliauRI3KTcMwI7Z_I3XT9FYcks27UDDcEzem8t8KO3v7r7OHbi48-YTTNUnkDEs6hKJnH6gl7Yr-zWL0Pg2dmcm4R08DT9rn_DpfcpZLsYh3No6iJjsEWbR4EMu4TObphx9HJU4/s320/Image%20-%20perform.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>Russian paratroops have reportedly been diverted from elsewhere on the front to meet the incursion by anti-Putin Russian groups, now in its third day. JL<i> </i><p></p><p><i>Reuters reports</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Russians opposed to the Kremlin were pressing an incursion into Russian
territory and had turned two border regions into "active combat zones. Kursk and Belgorod regions are now areas of active combat actions." Three Ukraine-based groups issued statements saying they were pursuing
armed operations in the Belgorod and Kursk regions and asking residents to
evacuate towns and villages for their own safety. The Ukrainian assaults on Russian territory in recent days, including
long-range drone attacks and incursions by Ukraine-based Russian
proxies, have come as Putin's expected re-election nears.<a name='more'></a><br /><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said on Thursday that armed groups he described as Russians opposed to the Kremlin were pressing an incursion into Russian territory and had turned two border regions into "active combat zones."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But the governor of one of the Russian regions hit by the attacks said, after a visit to villages in an area, that hostile troops were no longer there.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Three Ukraine-based groups issued statements saying they were pursuing armed operations in Belgorod and Kursk regions and asking residents to evacuate towns and villages for their own safety.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Kursk and Belgorod regions are now an area of active combat actions. This is what we confirm," Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for the GUR intelligence directorate, told national television.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"And as stated by the volunteers and rebels, we are talking about Russian citizens who, having no other options, are defending their civil right with arms against the Putin regime."</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Vyachslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said in an account posted on Telegram that there were no Ukrainian forces in one of the areas that had come under attack.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"I can state that there are no Ukrainian troops on the territory of the region," he wrote in the account posted after midnight local time. "The fighting is taking place outside it."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But Gladkov said the village of Kozinka "was badly hit. The damage is very serious." Residents had been evacuated to places where they were now safe.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Gladkov earlier said that two people were killed and at least 20 injured in attacks by Ukrainian armed forces.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Russian military bloggers had earlier reported that Russian paratroops had been dispatched Kozinka. Russia's Defence Ministry said it had foiled an attack by the Ukrainian army.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><figure class="imageMedia image full" style="display: block; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="placeholder" style="background: radial-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(203, 203, 203)) 0% 0% / cover no-repeat; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="A drone is seen flying above Belgorod, Russia, on Thursday." src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.7143804.1710434796!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/drone-flies-in-the-sky-above-belgorod-russia.jpg" style="aspect-ratio: 1.50121 / 1; border: 0px; display: block; object-fit: cover; width: 720px;" /></div><figcaption class="image-caption" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #545454; display: block; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin-block: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-inline: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 16px;">A drone flying over Belgorod Thursday.<span> </span>(AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Kursk's regional governor, Roman Starovoit, gave few details, but noted on Telegram that "Ukrainian terrorists have not stopped their attempts to bring saboteurs into our territory."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One of the three armed groups, the Freedom of Russia Legion, said on Telegram that in view of the "limited military operation" being conducted in the two regions, it was asking residents of certain towns to leave the area.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">A second, the Siberian Battalion, said it had observed a mood of panic in the town of Grayvoron — next to Kozinka — with cars queuing to leave.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Two of the groups had reported launching a cross-border incursion earlier this week.</p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.625rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.3; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">External influence?</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the past, Russian officials have cast the groups as puppets of the Ukrainian military and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, which Moscow says is trying to foment chaos in Russia.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Freedom of Russia legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps have previously claimed responsibility for other cross-border raids into Russia from Ukraine.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Cross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Belgorod region <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/belgorod-russia-ukraine-war-events-1.7088085" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">has seen repeated drone attacks</a> and has even been<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-war-belgorod-bomb-1.6817748" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">accidentally bombed by a Russian warplane</a> over the course of the conflict. Its regional capital of the same name was the site of a deadly Ukrainian strike in December,<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-belgorod-attack-ukraine-aftermath-1.7075633" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">which shocked residents</a>.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Ukrainian assaults on Russian territory in recent days, including long-range drone attacks and alleged incursions by Ukraine-based Russian proxies, have come as Putin's expected re-election nears.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><figure class="imageMedia image full" style="display: block; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="placeholder" style="background: radial-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(203, 203, 203)) 0% 0% / cover no-repeat; margin-bottom: 1rem; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="A woman walks past a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Simferopol, in occupied Crimea." src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.7143779.1710433735!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/original_780/woman-walks-past-mural-of-vladimir-putin-on-display-in-simferopol-in-occupied-crimea.JPG" style="aspect-ratio: 1.45199 / 1; border: 0px; display: block; object-fit: cover; width: 720px;" /></div><figcaption class="image-caption" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #545454; display: block; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin-block: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-inline: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 16px;">A woman walks along a street Tuesday near a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Simferopol, in occupied Crimea. The mural reads: 'Crimea is our common heritage.'<span> </span>(Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters)</figcaption></figure></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Putin has sought to persuade Russians to keep him in power against a backdrop of what he says are foreign threats to the country.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Since coming to power almost 25 years ago, Putin, now 71, has eliminated nearly all independent media and<span> </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-election-nadezhdin-1.7108633" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #0550c8; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s;">opposition voices in Russia</a>, particularly after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine that initially went badly wrong.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Analysts say the Kremlin is worried about low turnout during the three days of voting that begin Friday and needs Russians to participate to give legitimacy to Putin, who is almost certain to win another six-year term.</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-49614010017182477082024-03-15T08:54:00.003-04:002024-03-15T08:54:25.094-04:00Dozens of US Corporations Paid Top Execs More Than They Paid In Taxes<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0hSYrql7AnqGvS0ozKsfRUYEIS_Vq08jX0zYTnNQWImQATiKz0odB2EVltBASV0n4LIbwRJmAXC-Aft0J18CmOEGcQLxIB23AZJaZy0PfA2qRE9x_cvjQtfO04bpwdfEygo6eUyAkIQlueXezARMO_d9snPCOmPkRWX1xkYK2qUAgYemogRAaiaseQA/s545/Image%20-%20money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0hSYrql7AnqGvS0ozKsfRUYEIS_Vq08jX0zYTnNQWImQATiKz0odB2EVltBASV0n4LIbwRJmAXC-Aft0J18CmOEGcQLxIB23AZJaZy0PfA2qRE9x_cvjQtfO04bpwdfEygo6eUyAkIQlueXezARMO_d9snPCOmPkRWX1xkYK2qUAgYemogRAaiaseQA/s320/Image%20-%20money.jpg" width="294" /></a></i></div>Economic policy as it affects taxes in the US appears to have become significantly skewed towards executive compensation. <p></p><p>This is a problem because it reveals a misallocation of resources, as national and societal needs are sublimated to personal enrichment. This ends up costing the US more money in the long run because it has a cascading impact on serious challenges which requires additional costs rather than improvements which in turn can generate positive balance of payments. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Callum Jones reports in The Guardian</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Senior executives at 35 firms - from Tesla to<span> </span><a data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/t-mobile" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">T-Mobile</a><span> </span>US - received compensation worth more than the net tax payments of their
respective employers between 2018 and 2022, the research found. All the
companies generated billions of dollars in profit over the same period. The collective net federal income tax bill of all 35 companies was
negative $1.72bn over the five-year stretch – meaning they collectively
received more money back from the government in refunds than they paid. Over the same period, executive compensation for senior executives at
these firms – including salaries, bonuses, perks, benefits, stock
options and stock awards – stood at $9.49bn.<a name='more'></a><br /><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Top bosses at some of America’s largest companies have received more in pay than their companies paid in federal taxes, according to a new report.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Senior executives at 35 different firms – from Tesla to<span> </span><a data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/t-mobile" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">T-Mobile</a><span> </span>US – received compensation worth more than the net tax payments of their respective employers between 2018 and 2022, the research found. All the companies generated billions of dollars in profit over the same period.</p><div id="sign-in-gate" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: medium; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Analysis by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) found the collective net federal income tax bill of all 35 companies was negative $1.72bn over the five-year stretch – meaning they collectively received more money back from the government in refunds than they paid.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Over the same period, executive compensation for senior executives at these firms – including salaries, bonuses, perks, benefits, stock options and stock awards – stood at $9.49bn.</p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">The advocacy groups called on Congress to increase the corporate tax rate, claiming that raising it from 21% to 28% would generate $1.3tn in revenue over a decade. Donald Trump signed a law in 2017 that<span> </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/29/trump-tax-cuts-us-companies" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">slashed business taxes</a>.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">President Joe Biden declared it time for big businesses to “finally pay their fair share” during his<span> </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/08/joe-biden-came-out-swinging-at-his-state-of-the-union-address-will-it-be-enough" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">State of the Union</a><span> </span>address last week, pledging to “end the tax breaks for big pharma, big oil, private jets, and massive executive pay”.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Pledging to fight “like hell” to make the tax system fair, Biden said: “Look, I’m a capitalist. If you want to make a million bucks – great! Just pay your fair share in taxes.”</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Among the 35 companies, the report highlighted<span> </span><a data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/tesla" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tesla</a>, led by the billionaire tycoon Elon Musk. The electric carmaker was a loss-making enterprise for years, but has in recent years generated significant profits as it ramped up production amid mounting demand for electric vehicles.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Between 2018 and 2022, Tesla’s executive pay bill stood at $2.5bn, although this was largely due to a vast 2018 compensation arrangement for Musk that was<span> </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/30/elon-musk-tesla-pay-package-too-much-judge-rules" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">struck down by a Delaware judge in January</a>. Its net federal income tax balance over this period was -$1m – primarily because it carried forward excess losses from previous years, the report claimed.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Tesla<em class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span> </span></strong></em>did not respond to a request for comment. <br /></p><figure class="element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-1g330ti" data-alt="Two line charts, one red trending up, one khaki staying flat" data-spacefinder-role="inline" data-testid="interactive-element-Two%20line%20charts,%20one%20red%20trending%20up,%20one%20khaki%20staying%20flat" id="e7974a68-f078-4067-a695-c4a2908917bb" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; background-color: var(--interactive-block-background); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin: 12px 0px; min-height: auto; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></figure><div class="ad-slot-container ad-slot-container-2 offset-right ad-slot--offset-right ad-slot-container--offset-right" style="-webkit-box-pack: center; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; display: flex; float: right; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: medium; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 12px -380px 12px auto; max-width: 300px; min-height: 1130.2px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline2 ad-slot--rendered ad-slot--sky" data-google-query-id="COSay-6l9oQDFQXUKAUdw8UEWg" data-label-show="true" data-link-name="ad slot inline2" data-name="inline2" id="dfp-ad--inline2" style="align-self: flex-start; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 0%; font: inherit; margin: 0px; min-height: 600px; padding: 0px; position: sticky; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ad-slot__content" id="google_ads_iframe_/59666047/theguardian.com/business/article/ng_8__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></div></div><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">While executive pay at T-Mobile over the five-year stretch stood at $675m, bolstered by the stock market boost triggered by the company’s<span> </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/11/t-mobile-sprint-merger-judge-us-mobile-providers" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">takeover of Sprint</a>, the report said its net federal income tax bill stood at negative $80m.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">T-Mobile utilized a tax deduction for costs incurred buying spectrum licenses, according to ATF and IPS, and wrote off a<span> </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/t-mobile-pay-350-mln-settlement-over-massive-hacking-2022-07-22/" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--article-link-border); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--article-link-text); font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">$350m settlement over a cyber-attack</a><span> </span>which compromised the data of an estimated 76.6 million people, as part of a “variety of tactics” to reduce its bill.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">T-Mobile did not respond to a request for comment.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Other companies listed, including Ford and Salesforce, also did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Netflix, which is on the list of 35 companies, said it globally paid income taxes of over $2bn between 2018 and 2022.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">“Netflix complies with tax laws and regulations in the US and around the world,” a spokesman added.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Match Group, which is listed, disputed the report’s estimates for its company. “The study this list is based on claims to have excluded companies that completed corporate spins,” a spokesperson said. “Match Group was spun out of IAC in 2020, so the numbers here are not representative of our business.”</p><div class="ad-slot-container ad-slot-container--im" style="-webkit-box-pack: center; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; display: flex; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: medium; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 12px auto; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot-- ad-slot--im ad-slot--fluid ad-slot--rendered" data-google-query-id="CPv90Yul9oQDFVvUKAUdQ7QPdA" data-label="false" data-link-name="ad slot im" data-name="im" data-refresh="false" id="dfp-ad--im" style="align-self: flex-start; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 0%; font: inherit; margin: 5px 20px 12px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><div class="ad-slot__content" id="google_ads_iframe_/59666047/theguardian.com/business/article/ng_6__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"></div></div></div><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">David Kass, the executive director of ATF, said: “Both kinds of corporate misbehavior – underpaying taxes and overpaying executives – ultimately make working families the victim through smaller paychecks and diminished public services.”</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">The report “shows how executives of big corporations are rewarded for aggressive tax avoidance”, added its co-author Sarah Anderson, global economy director at IPS, “while working families and small businesses are left to pick up the tab”.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="--source-text-decoration-thickness: 2px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 14px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;">Asked why the report focuses on the US tax payments of multinational companies, which operate across the world, Anderson said: “The primary objective of the report is to underscore the need to reform the tax code in the country where these [companies] are based and are making significant profits.”</p></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116358807299972823.post-22365907228740953002024-03-14T13:28:00.001-04:002024-03-14T13:28:07.474-04:00Russia Evacuating Civilians In Areas Of Ukraine Cross-Border Attacks<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnGc827Ut2N2YyKgj3l7F1GYQtGkN_nrJpQx6cg13vdRTlLDMZ-UXAwmqWQakuvVpwW2buEievwveAR8vPdEiihRC4F2t09_2V9YJBy11WzsKVoM0OIiU40oUr55wRyOYVK1EEEhtC_zSXPVJSoIUlGTWDT3Fq5bFzqtyNHBoXsUiV-mBdUCFA7v7i2E/s300/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnGc827Ut2N2YyKgj3l7F1GYQtGkN_nrJpQx6cg13vdRTlLDMZ-UXAwmqWQakuvVpwW2buEievwveAR8vPdEiihRC4F2t09_2V9YJBy11WzsKVoM0OIiU40oUr55wRyOYVK1EEEhtC_zSXPVJSoIUlGTWDT3Fq5bFzqtyNHBoXsUiV-mBdUCFA7v7i2E/w320-h179/Image%20-%20behave.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>While Russia denies anything is amiss and claims the cross-border incursion has been defeated with hundreds of casualties, the reality is that Russian authorities are evacuating civilians from the affected areas. <p></p><p>Russian troops and police reportedly fled rather than fight the anti-Putin/pro-Ukrainian Russian volunteers. JL<i> </i></p><p><i>Valentyna Romanenko reports in Ukraine Pravda</i>:
<br />
<br />
</p><blockquote>Authorities in the Russian Federation's Belgorod Oblast decided to
evacuate local residents due to the operations carried out by Russian
[pro-Ukrainian] military volunteer groups. The Ukrainian-alled Russian Volunteer Corps issued a call to all residents of Kursk
and Bryansk oblasts who were unable to evacuate to
seek shelter immediately. An intercepted conversation with a local resident indicates that the people of Grayvoron district, Belgorod Oblast are being evacuated. <span></span>"Uncle texted that buses are going. Grayvoron is being evacuated." There are casualties in the city.<a name='more'></a><br /><div class="post_photo_news" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><picture style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;"><img alt="Ukrainian intelligence intercepts conversation: evacuation ongoing in Russian Grayvoron, Belgorod Oblast" class="post_photo_news_img" height="387" src="https://img.pravda.com/images/doc/9/2/92f1555-screenshot-3347--1-.jpg" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 690px;" width="690" /></picture><div class="post_photo_news_about" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></div><div class="post_photo_about" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 6px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="post_photo_author" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #888888; font-size: 9px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">GRAYVORON ON A MAP. SCREENSHOT</div></div><div class="post_text" data-io-article-url="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/14/7446491/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "fira sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: none; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.45em; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (DIU) has reported that authorities in the Russian Federation's Belgorod Oblast decided to evacuate local residents due to the operations carried out by Russian [pro-Ukrainian] military volunteer groups.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source:</strong><span> </span>intercepted conversation of a resident of the Russian Federation, a fragment of which was provided to Ukrainska Pravda by a source in Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Details:</strong><span> </span>An intercepted conversation with a local resident indicates that the people of Grayvoron, Grayvoron district, Belgorod Oblast, Russian Federation, are being evacuated.</p><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></center><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Quote:</strong><span> </span>"Uncle texted, basically, that buses are standing or going. Grayvoron is being evacuated.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mom called me, Dima called. They said they were evacuating."</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="post__video" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Details:</strong><span> </span>Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, reported on Telegram at 14:18 that "the Grayvoron city district was again attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine" (Russian authorities continue to stubbornly refuse to recognise that they are opposed by Russian volunteers). Gladkov stated there are casualties in the city.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At 15:30, he reported that an air-raid warning was issued in Belgorod Oblast.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Background:</strong></p><ul style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: 19.2px; list-style: none; margin-block: 0px 1em; margin-inline: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding-inline-start: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">On 13 March, Russian volunteer soldiers fighting on the Ukrainian side<span> </span><a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/13/7446267/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border-bottom: none; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(199, 127, 144) 0px -2px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">announced strikes on Russian military positions</a><span> </span>in Belgorod and Kursk and called on local residents to evacuate.</li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">On 14 March, at 10:30, Denis Nikitin, the head and founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps, announced that Russian volunteers would open fire on Russian military targets in Belgorod and Kursk within an hour and a half.</li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">The Russian Volunteer Corps then issued a call to all residents of Kursk and Bryansk oblasts who did not have time or were unable to evacuate to seek shelter immediately.</li></ul></div></blockquote>Jonathan Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05424902703252606711noreply@blogger.com1